Kirkuk: The Turkmen Rescue Alliance has voiced the need for amendments to the Survivors Law to ensure equality and prevent discrimination, emphasizing that the current form of the law undermines these principles.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Ammar Kahya, head of the Kirkuk Turkmen Rescue Alliance, urged the amendment of the Survivors Law. He highlighted that the Iraqi House of Representatives has repeatedly included the draft amendment to the Yazidi Survivors Law on its agenda, only to retract it due to objections. Kahya stressed that justice cannot be selective, and the rights of one group should not overshadow another, particularly pointing out the exclusion of the Turkmen community from similar rights.

Kahya referenced the Iraqi Constitution, noting that Articles 14, 16, and 125 guarantee equality and non-discrimination among Iraqis. He also cited international human rights conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which affirm rights without discrimination and equality before the law.

The Council of Representatives has been urged to reintroduce amendments to the Survivors Law No. (8) of 2021. The proposed changes focus on including all affected Iraqi communities, specifically Turkmen and Shabak, by adopting the date of June 10, 2014, and adjusting certain articles to ensure equal rights and justice for all victims.

The Council clarified that these amendments do not target the rights of the Yazidi community but aim to expand justice to encompass all victims, maintaining a single standard of citizenship and equality. It emphasized that any legal text causing disparities among citizens based on ethnicity, religion, or sect contradicts both the Iraqi Constitution and international human rights standards.