Federal Court Upholds Halabja's Provincial Status
Iraq's Federal Court rejected two lawsuits by MPs seeking to annul Halabja's status as a province, legally solidifying its creation as Iraq's 19th governorate.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court on Tuesday solidified Halabja's status as the country's 19th province, rejecting two lawsuits that sought to overturn the Iraqi Parliament’s landmark decision and remove a final legal hurdle for the governorate.
The court convened on Tuesday to rule on the two challenges and ultimately rejected them, cementing the creation of the new province.
The lawsuits had been filed by six members of parliament against the President of Iraq, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, and both of his deputies. The plaintiffs had formally demanded that the decision to establish Halabja as a province be declared illegal and subsequently be annulled.
The court's definitive ruling follows a series of key political and legislative steps taken earlier in the year.
On April 14, 2025, the Iraqi Parliament passed the bill to officially make Halabja a province. This was followed by the presidential endorsement on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, when Iraqi President Dr. Latif Rashid signed the bill into law. In a symbolic gesture, he later gave the pen he used to sign the decision to Nuxsha Nasih, Halabja's acting governor.
The creation of the province was also the fulfillment of a long-standing pledge.
The bill to make Halabja a province was passed by the Iraqi Parliament on April 14, 2025, and that meant that President Barzani fulfilled his promise to the people of Halabja, because in a 2009 speech before tens of thousands of people, he declared, "We will use all our capabilities to make Halabja a province."
