Iraqi Communist Party rejects proposed amendments to Personal Status Law

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Communist Party announced its opposition to including the draft amendment to the Personal Status Law on the agenda for Wednesday's parliamentary session.

In a statement from its political bureau, the party stated that the proposed amendment contains articles that contradict the Iraqi Constitution, particularly Article 14, which ensures equality for all Iraqis before the law without discrimination.

The statement added that the proposed amendment aims to "divide Iraqis according to sect, thereby fostering sectarianism and harming Iraqi society, which already suffers from the effects of sectarian divisions and wars." It stressed that this direction is "inconsistent" with the claims of political forces striving for political and social stability.

The party noted that the current Personal Status Law, enacted during the government of the July 14 Revolution, provides a balance that meets the needs of all segments of Iraqi society and serves the interests of women, children, and families, in line with international human rights conventions.

The party called on "all national, democratic, and civil forces, including parties, organizations, and individuals, to reject the draft amendment and prevent its passage through all available democratic means in order to preserve the inclusive Iraqi national identity and Iraq's pursuit of a civil democracy governed by law and the constitution.”

The Iraqi Parliament announced the agenda for Wednesday's session, which includes the first reading of the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959.

Previously, Mohammed Al-Khafaji, a member of the parliamentary legal committee, expressed his discontent with the "opposition" to the amendment of the Personal Status Law, particularly Article 57 regarding child custody. He asserted that the amendment seeks to achieve justice and protect families from disintegration amid the rising divorce rates.