Baghdad: The Parliamentary Legal Committee recently highlighted ongoing political disagreements stalling the amendment of Iraq’s General Amnesty Law, intended to pass in the current legislative session.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Committee member MP Yahya Al-Muhammadi emphasized that the draft amendment of the General Amnesty Law remains under the committee’s control. The law faces obstacles particularly concerning the specific articles to be included in its text. Al-Muhammadi noted that while all representatives of the Sunni component back the law, differing views persist among other parliamentary blocs on the articles to be amended.

“The new amendment draft is still in the custody of the Legal Committee. There are obstacles related to the articles that are to be included in the text of the law,” Al-Muhammadi stated. He further explained the urgency of the legislation by referencing the severe overcrowding in Iraqi prisons, which are operating at 300% capacity. Inmates suffer from substandard
health care, which contravenes human rights norms, with more than 60,000 individuals imprisoned on various charges, including terrorism and other serious crimes.

While the amendment proposes extending amnesty to a significant number of inmates to alleviate prison overcrowding, terrorists and murderers would be excluded. “All inmates are subject to amnesty, except for terrorists and murderers who cannot be included in the general amnesty,” Al-Muhammadi clarified, suggesting that broader political consensus is needed to reintegrate a larger number of inmates into society.

The House of Representatives has already conducted the second reading of the draft amendment during a session in mid-September, which included both reporting and discussion on the proposed changes to the General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016.