Committees’ recent meetings – 26 July 2020
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament committees' recent meetings and activities:
Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee
22 July - The committee, led by the vice chair Gulistan Said (Change Movement), visited Erbil prison and were welcomed by the prison director, Hemin Faruq Nanakali.
The MPs came to look into the death of a prisoner, Kamal Karim Hamadamin in the prison, and scrutinize the treatment of the prisoners, application of their rights, and the measures to protect them from the Coronavirus.
Prison director Nanakali said that Kamal Karim Hamadamin previously had been well and had not experienced any particular problems in prison, and then according to witnesses he had suffered an epileptic episode. The medical examiner’s intial report stated that Mr. Hamadamin died on 21 July at 6.15 in the evening. The medical examiner’s full report is expected to be released soon, Mr. Nanakali said.
Committee members also met with prisoners’ representatives, listened closely to their concerns, and promised to raise their demands and issues with the authorities.
Integrity Committee
22 July - The committee, led by the vice chair Said Harki (KDP), visited the investigations office of the Kurdistan Integrity Commission. The MPs asked why the Commission had closed its investigation into the $5 million dollars allocated to Erbil as the 2014 tourism capital. The MPs said that there were many ambiguities in the way that the money was spent.
The investigations office director said that she will study all of the parliament committee’s concerns and questions, and will formally submit a response.
Education, Higher Education, and Scientific Research Committee
22 July - The committee, led by the chair Abdusalam Dolamari (KDP), held their usual meeting. They discussed issues, including study allowances paid to the children of martyrs and political prisoners, and the high school 12th grade final exams which are currently under way.
The MPs also discussed their recent meetings with several private universities in Kurdistan and the committee’s scrutiny of their tuition fees, which should have been reduced per the Ministry of Higher Education’s instructions.
The last issue on the agenda was the exemption from paying tuition fees of postgraduate and doctoral students from the faculties of Sharia and Islamic sciences belonging to the Ministry of Education.
Agriculture and Irrigation Committee
22 July - The committee, led by the chair Abdulsatar Majeed (KIG), welcomed several potato farmers and potato chips factory owners. The farmers asked the committee to help strengthen the agriculture sector, especially potato production. They said that Kurdistan’s potato farmers have the capacity to produce 400,000 tons of potatoes a year, which would meet domestic demand and can also be used to produce chips.
The committee thanked the farmers for their efforts and expressed their support for them. The MPs decided to visit farms and food processing factories soon.