Iraqi Parliament to Vote on Bill to Restore Occupied Properties

Reports 12:46 PM - 2024-09-16

Iraqi parliament building

The Iraqi parliament is set to vote today, Monday, on the proposed legislation titled "Returning Real Estate to its Owners Affected by Certain Decisions of the Dissolved Revolutionary Command Council (RCC)."

The properties will be restored to their initial owners who were forcibly removed between 1975 and 1979 as a result of eight decrees, including Decision 9 of 1975, which sought to alter the demographic composition of the Kurdistan areas. The vast majority of these lands have been giving to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Fahmi Burhan, Head of the General Board for Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region told PUKMEDIA: "The legislation seeks to reverse the rulings of the dissolved RCC. It is the restoration of rights to their respective owners. Approximately 130,000 acres of land belonging to Kurdish farmers have been occupied in Kirkuk alone."

He also said that the occupied lands are located in Sargaran, Topzawa, Daquq, and areas near Kirkuk, where both Kurds and Turkmens were affected.

 

Agricultural contracts will be reinstated

The bill outlines the process for compensating individuals affected by these decisions in Kirkuk. If the affected person was present in Kirkuk when their land was seized, their agricultural contract for the land will be reinstated.

Additional compensation will cover the value of crops, water wells, and other agricultural resources on the land, which will be returned to the individual.

 

The PUK faction defends the rights of farmers

 

Members of the PUK faction are working to reverse the decisions of the former Iraqi regime, which adversely affected the Kurds and other communities in the disputed areas.

Gharib Ahmed, a member of the Iraqi parliament from the PUK faction, told PUKMEDIA: "Our faction has consistently worked to reverse all the decisions made against the Kurds in the disputed areas during the previous Iraqi regime through the parliament. Other MPs of the agriculture committee are also supporting us in this effort.”

He further said: "The law seeks to nullify eight rulings made by the previous regime that permitted the seizure of land and property, mainly located in Kirkuk. Moreover, it would restore agricultural contracts for landowners who were previously deprived of their land."

The bill aims to nullify the decisions of the dissolved RCC, consisting of eight articles issued between 1975 and 1979 by the Ba'ath regime, concerning agricultural land in Kirkuk province that was occupied by relocated Arabs. This bill is not against any specific community; instead, it seeks to restore rights to both Kurds and Turkmen.


PUKMEDIA