Shafaq News / A number of political prisoners in the Kurdistan Region lodged complaints on Friday regarding the absence of their legally mandated rights, accusing the federal government of neglect and unfair treatment.
Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, political prisoner Sherzad Mohammed stated that what the political prisoners seek is the guarantee of their rights, as enshrined by the Iraqi constitution and prevailing laws, and to be treated on par with their counterparts in central and southern Iraq.
"The Kurdish political prisoners have not received their salaries as their peers in central and southern regions have," Mohammed highlighted, indicating that their demands can be summarized as "receiving their salaries from the federal government as a legal obligation that falls upon Baghdad."
When asked about the reasons behind their failure to receive their entitlements in line with their peers in other Iraqi regions, Mohammed opined that this question should be directed to the designated Prime Minister, who is responsible for monitoring the well-being of all citizens and should be aware of the hardships faced by his people. He called for "a meeting between the federal Prime Minister and a group of political prisoners in the Kurdistan Region."
In turn, political prisoner Ibrahim Abdullah Benjouini discussed the demands of political prisoners in the Kurdistan Region, which revolve around being treated equally with their counterparts or being transferred to the Iraqi government for equal disbursement of their dues. According to Benjouini, the Iraqi constitution obligates the government to compensate political prisoners and war victims.
In a related context, during a recent press conference attended by Shafaq News Agency, Member of Parliament Muthanna Amin affirmed that "the law to include political prisoners in the Kurdistan Region under the Federal Political Prisoners Institution has reached a mature stage and is currently with the State Council before reaching the Iraqi Council of Ministers."
Amin called on all political blocs in the Iraqi Parliament to "collaborate in order to enact a law that guarantees the rights of political prisoners," noting that the amended law in 2013 stipulated the inclusion of all citizens who were deported and displaced from Sharazur and Halabja to Iran under the Political Prisoners Law, but this has not been implemented.
The Iraqi government issued Law No. 4 in 2006, which was amended in 2013, granting monthly salaries and other privileges to political prisoners in Iraq, such as providing medical treatment for those in need abroad and allocating seats for them during the Hajj season. However, the law did not include the Kurdistan Region since the region receives a designated budget from the Iraqi government due to its autonomous status.
