Iraqi parliament completes Amnesty Law reading amid Yazidi boycott over ‘terrorists' release’ concerns

Shafaq News / On Monday, the Iraqi Parliament concluded the report and discussion (second reading) of the draft amendment to the General Amnesty Law before adjourning its session until Tuesday.

Yazidi deputies of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in the Iraqi parliament boycotted today's session due to the inclusion of the Amnesty Law for a second reading.

Reports showed that Yazidi deputies signed a protest letter, attributing their boycott to concerns that “the law might be a means to release terrorists from prison.”

On Sunday, the Parliament's media office affirmed that “Monday's session will feature the report and discussion of the second reading of the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959, covering Articles 2 and 10, and the second reading of the draft law for the second amendment to the General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016.”

Since the formation of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s government, the Amnesty Law has faced an uncertain fate. While political consensus exists around its passage, observers suggest that certain political factions, particularly from the Shiite Coordination Framework, are deliberately delaying the law despite earlier promises made to Sunni parties as a condition for their participation in the government.

The General Amnesty Law remains a key demand of Sunni blocs, who insisted on its passage during negotiations to form the current government, which includes Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni groups. Sunni lawmakers argue that the law, along with security reviews in their governorates, is a central part of the government's platform.