Federal Supreme Court to Address Land Disputes in Kirkuk
The plaintiffs are seeking the cancellation of this Baath-era decision and the restoration of their land ownership.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Federal Supreme Court of Iraq is scheduled to hear two complaints submitted by Kurdish and Turkmen farmers from Kirkuk on Sunday, addressing land ownership disputes dating back to the Baath regime era.
The first case, Complaint No. 140 of 2023, involves six Kurdish citizens contesting the constitutionality of Baath Leadership Council Decision No. 949 of 1977. This decision led to the confiscation and transfer of ownership rights of their agricultural lands to the Ministry of Finance under the guise of agrarian reform.
The plaintiffs are seeking the cancellation of this Baath-era decision and the restoration of their land ownership.
The second complaint, also postponed from July 21, was filed by four Kurdish and Turkmen farmers from the town of Daquq, south of Kirkuk.
They challenge Decision No. 824, issued on August 16, 1976, which similarly resulted in the confiscation of their lands under the pretext of agrarian reform.
These cases highlight the ongoing struggle for land rights in Kirkuk, a region with a complex history of ethnic and political tensions.
The decisions of the Federal Supreme Court in these cases could have significant implications for land ownership and restitution in the region.