Committees’ recent meetings – 18 November 2019

A summary of Kurdistan Parliament committees’ recent news and activities:

Culture, Civil Society, Sports and Youth Committee

14 November - The committee met with the Head of the Kurdistan Region Board of Supreme Audit, Mr. Khalid Chawishli. The purpose of the meeting was to look into several issues, particularly the expenditure of $5 million dollars allocated by the KRG to Erbil province as the tourism capital of 2014. Erbil was given the title for the year 2014 by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism. Mr. Chawishli responded that the Board of Supreme Audit is trying to address all issues related to that special budget.

Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Committee

17 November - The committee members met with the supervisory unit for Syriac language Education in Duhok governorate, and discussed their problems. The committee decided to submit a report to Parliament’s Presidency to find solutions to their problems. Syriac is the mother tongue and native language of Christians in Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Martyrs’ Affairs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee

The committee, led by the chair Ms. Sawsan Mirkhan (KDP) met with lawyers Mr. Najmadin Hamasaeed and Mr. Goran Jalal who represent some former political prisoners. They submitted a note to the committee requesting that the former political prisoners' rights and privileges be granted. The law makes grants them privileges by law, but so far they have not been granted. The lawyers called on the committee to take over the case and to remove the names of those who were not real political prisoners. The MPs promised to continue their efforts to secure their rights.

The committee announced that it will, in coordination with the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfar Affairs, modify the law on the rights and privileges of political prisoners in the near future. The committee decided to report to Parliament’s Presidency on the details of the meeting.