The general amnesty returns to the fore... and a political consensus to speed up its approval

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[size=52]The general amnesty returns to the fore... and a political consensus to speed up its approval[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]From time to time, there is talk about the general amnesty law, but its fate is still unknown, in light of the parliamentary calls and demands for its legislation.[/size]
[size=45]After 2003, Iraq witnessed two general amnesty laws, the first enacted in 2008 and the second in 2016, in addition to an amendment issued one year after the second general amnesty.[/size]
[size=45]A member of the House of Representatives, Thaer Makhaif, says, “The passage of the general amnesty law was delayed as a result of the political crises and conflicts in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]"There are criminal cases that require amnesty and do not necessitate severe imprisonment for long periods," added Makhaif, a member of the State of Law coalition.[/size]
[size=45]The representative, who is affiliated with the Coordination Framework, indicated that “there are different paragraphs and texts in the law, as it is not possible to include all those in prisons.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “There are no barriers that prevent the law from being passed, but it needs political consensus and study by the legal committee and the competent authorities,” suggesting that “it will soon be passed.”[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the representative of the Sovereignty Alliance, Abdul Karim Abtan, says, “The government is obligated to implement what it promised in the government program,” noting that “the general amnesty law was among the demands that we demanded and promised to be implemented by Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The general amnesty law includes all Iraqis and does not concern one group over another," noting that "thousands of innocent detainees have been unjustly dealt with as a result of the secret informant's slander and malicious information."[/size]
[size=45]In mid-2021, the Commission for Human Rights announced that it had registered about 76,000 people, including 49,000 convicts, 3,000 women, and 2,000 juveniles, in detention centers and correctional department prisons.[/size]
[size=45]Abtan stressed, "the need to expedite the sending of the general amnesty bill so that it takes its legal course in the Parliamentary Legal Committee, and it is a good omen for the detainees and their families."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "Today's political conditions have changed, and the opportunity is open for the Sudanese to write his name in letters of light in the history of the state through fairness to the innocent and the enactment of the general amnesty law during his rule."[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Monday, the head of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, confirmed his great readiness to pass the general amnesty law, which the agreement to form the government of Muhammad Shia al-Sudani stipulated for approval.[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the head of the Sovereignty Coalition, Khamis Al-Khanjar, called on the government and parliament to pass a general amnesty law before the end of Ramadan, in accordance with the political agreement on which the government of Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani was formed.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Khanjar said in a tweet, "Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and mercy, and an opportunity to prove goodwill with the oppressed and their families."[/size]
[size=45]He added, “I call on the Council of Ministers and the brothers in the House of Representatives to pass the general amnesty law before any other law and before the month of Ramadan leaves us.”[/size]
[size=45]He concluded by saying, "This is our covenant and our agreement with the brothers in the state administration coalition."[/size]
[size=45]The government program, according to representatives of the Sunni component, includes the issuance of a general amnesty law, security audits in their governorates, and the abolition or suspension of bodies that were a source of concern and crisis for them.[/size]
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