On Wednesday, Hadi Al-Amiri, the Secretary-General of the Badr Organization and leader of the Al-Fateh coalition, urged the Iraqi parliament to revoke the decisions made by the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council. Al-Amiri emphasized the significance of implementing Article 140 of the constitution, as it is crucial to restoring normalcy in Kirkuk governorate and other areas that are in dispute between Baghdad and Erbil.
During a press conference held today while visiting Kirkuk Governorate, Al-Amiri announced that the Council of Ministers has cancelled its decision to submit a proposal to the Iraqi Parliament to compensate the owners of lands that were confiscated by the former regime from the original residents of Kirkuk.
The person stated that if the House of Representatives does not vote to overturn them, the rulings made by the defunct Revolutionary Command Council will remain in force and cannot be reversed. Therefore, we urge the Council to rescind these rulings and provide compensation to those negatively impacted by them.
Today, the second meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Article 140 of the Constitution was chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Shakhwan Abdullah. The purpose of the meeting was to oversee the progress of the governmental committee in regards to compensation and the cancellation of decisions made by the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council.
The Media Department of the House of Representatives released a statement that discussed the committee’s work. The committee is coordinating with political blocs, parliamentary committees, and state institutions to restore the rights and disburse dues to deportees and those affected by the policies of the defunct regime, as well as the demographic change that affected several governorates, including Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Mosul, and some regions in central and southern Iraq.
In July of last year, the Iraqi Parliament made an announcement regarding the reactivation of the Article 140 Constitutional Committee. This committee will be responsible for resolving the issues of those who were impacted by the previous regime.
According to Article 140, the demographic change policies enforced by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the disputed areas, which favored the Arabs over the Kurds, will be abolished. A census of the population will be conducted before proceeding to the next step: a referendum to determine whether the population wishes to join the Kurdistan Region or remain under the administration of Baghdad.
The completion of the implementation stages of the article was planned for the end of 2007. However, security and political issues hindered its progress.
The Federal Supreme Court declared in 2019 that Article 140 of the Constitution of the Republic of Iraq remains in effect. They emphasized that it will remain in effect until its objectives are achieved and its requirements are fulfilled.
