Iraq Parliament to address 49 years of Kurdish property rights violations in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - On Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, Rebwar Hadi, Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament's Legal Committee, announced in an interview with Kurdistan24 that a new draft law aims to restore public and private properties to their rightful Kurdish owners who have faced discrimination over the past 49 years.

These properties were seized by the Baath regime and distributed to Arab settlers from central and southern Iraq.

As Hadi stated, the Baath Regime policies are set to be terminated and the property rights of rightful Kurdish owners are to be restored. As such, Hadi underscored that “The draft law will nullify previous Baath regime decisions. The legislation specifically addresses Kurdish properties in Kirkuk and it  is independent of other legislation.”

“The Bill is expected to pass during the extended parliamentary session; also, the opposition to the law is weak," he remarked.

"This legislation represents the restoration of rights to their rightful owners," Hadi emphasized, noting that the law has been well-developed and faces minimal substantive opposition in parliament.

Another aspect that the Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament's Legal Committee discussed was the matter related to the budget and oil exports.

“Budget amendment will soon reach parliament. Discussions continue regarding oil production costs, set at $16 per barrel,” he added.

“If these changes are applied, then this could enable the resumption of Kurdistan Region's oil exports,” he further clarified.

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, addressing historical injustices against Iraq's Kurdish population, particularly in Kirkuk, has been a crucial political issue.

The Baath regime's Arabization policies from the 1970s resulted in widespread Kurdish property confiscation and demographic changes.