420K families demand action on Iraq terrorism-victims law
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Families of people killed in military operations and terrorist attacks, along with wounded security personnel, demonstrated on Saturday outside parliament in Baghdad, demanding progress on the third amendment to Law No. 20 of 2009 on compensation for victims of war operations, military mistakes, and terrorist attacks.
Protest organizer Abu Abdullah Al-Saadi told Shafaq News that more than 420,000 families are affected by delays to Iraq’s Law on Compensation for Victims of War Operations, Military Mistakes, and Terrorist Operations. He blamed political disputes for delaying the legislation and depriving families of benefits they say they are entitled to, urging Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi, parliament’s leadership, and political blocs to move the amendment forward.
Read more: Iraq's parliament stalls on martyrs' compensation law
Another organizer, Abu Ishaq, said the legislation has been stalled for about three years after failing to advance during the previous parliamentary term because of quorum problems before the elections. Parliament’s legislative archive shows the amendment received its first reading on August 26, 2025, with no second reading or final vote recorded.
Abu Ishaq also claimed the parliamentary committee responsible for martyrs’ affairs remains incomplete, with only five members.
Among the protesters, Umm Mohammed demanded her son’s rights and those of other Iraqis killed in wars and terrorist attacks, criticizing political promises that have “produced little tangible action.”
Read more: Iraqis ask whether the street still moves the state
In April, the Coordination Committee of Martyrs’ Families gave parliament 30 days to complete work on the amendment and threatened organized protests if the process remained stalled. Proposed changes discussed earlier include extending salary payments for victims of terrorism, regulating entitlements for remarried widows and martyrs’ children and parents, and extending application of the law for 25 years. MP Murtadha Al-Saadi, then a member of parliament’s temporary Martyrs Committee, told Shafaq News in February that several provisions still lacked political agreement.
