Official letter shows Iraqi Ministry of Defense is demanding to restrain properties in few provinces including Kirkuk

Under the name of agricultural reform, the lands by an issued order in the court during Ba’ath regime, were taken off the Kurdish and Turkmen farmers in Kirkuk, other Iraqi provinces, except the Kurdistan Region, also transferred on to the name of the Ministry of Finance.

Farming land. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Farming land. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – It’s started from the last month, with the Iraqi Army Chief of staff/ Presidency sending a letter to all Directorates and Estate registration offices in Iraqi provinces and towns to restrain lands are registered in the name of the Ministry of Defense.

A copy of the letter numbered Q2/4/68/15854 on October 31st, 2024 gained by Kurdistan 24’s website department. The document has been sent to the estate of property registration and directorates in all 15 provinces and provincial boundary offices to order the Federal Court to sign the whole land and property owned by the Ministry of Defense.

The decision from the Federal Court beside the generalization made by the Iraqi Army presidency, meanwhile an area of ​​135.000 dunams land in Kirkuk province, which some part of locates within Tobzawa border, also other areas of southern Kirkuk.

Under the name of agricultural reform, the lands by an issued order in the court during Ba’ath regime, were taken off the Kurdish and Turkmen farmers in Kirkuk, other Iraqi provinces, except the Kurdistan Region, also transferred on to the name of the Ministry of Finance.

Earlier, the Iraqi Federal Court decided to postpone the hearing on the issue of resolving the farmers’ complaints in Sargaran and Daquq to mid-November this year 2024.

This is the second time the court adjourned the hearing.

The Iraqi Federal Court on September 16th, 2024, for the second time, adjourned the hearing for two complaints filed by Kurdish and Turkmen farmers in Sargaran Sharde and Daquq towns against the Speaker of Parliament to overturn the decisions were made by the Ba'ath regime.

They forcibly restrained agricultural land from Kurdish farmers and transferred the ownership on to the Ministry of Finance at that time.

According to the deadline has been set by the Federal Court to review the complaint by the Kurdish and Turkmen farmers, is November 13th, 2024, sup[posed to resolve the complaint.

The first claim was filed by six Kurdish residents of Sharadei Sargaran countryside against the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament.

In the claim, it is requested to consider Ba'ath’s court decision No. 949 of 1977 to restrain the lands and transfer the ownership of those agricultural lands from Kurdish citizens, against the constitution.

Beside the returning those agricultural lands should be declared unconstitutional and the decision by the Ba'ath regime should be annulled and the land ownership rights should be restored.

The second complaint was also filed by four Kurdish and Turkmen farmers in Daquq in the southern Kirkuk against the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and his authorities.

Demanding the unconstitutionality and annulment on the decision No. 824 issued on August 16th, 1976 and their property rights have been taken away. 

Updated