Iraqi President Approves Personal Status, General Amnesty, and Property Return Laws

Iraqi Presidency media office

Iraqi President Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid.

The President of the Republic of Iraq, Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid, today, Thursday 13th February 2025, approved the personal status laws, general amnesty, and the return of properties to their rightful owners.

The approval follows the Federal Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday 11th February, which rejected the appeal against the three laws, filed by several members of the Iraqi parliament, and annulled the state order that had halted their implementation.

On 21st January 2025, the Iraqi parliament voted in its third session of the new legislative term on proposals to amend the Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959, a draft law to return real estate to its owners affected by certain decisions of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council, and a draft law amending the second General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016.

During the parliamentary session, several representatives raised objections, accusing Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani of violations in the voting process, with some claiming that the vote was conducted without following official procedures, such as raising hands. These objections led to the filing of five lawsuits challenging the passage of the laws, resulting in the Federal Supreme Court issuing an order to suspend their implementation. The court resolved the issue by rejecting the appeals and revoking its previous order.

On 4th February 2025, the Federal Supreme Court issued a state order halting the enforcement of the general amnesty, personal status, and property restitution laws until the constitutionality of the three laws and their compatibility with the permanent Iraqi Constitution were determined. 



PUKMEDIA