Iraq issues arrest warrant for Kurdistan referendum commission
Iraq’s Federal Judicial Authority.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq ordered on Wednesday the arrest of officials in charge of Kurdistan’s commission that supervised the highly divisive referendum on independence from Iraq in September 25th.
The Higher Judicial Council said the Rusafa investigation court in Baghdad ordered the arrest of commission officials based on a petition filed by the country’s Ministerial National Security Council, which is chaired by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The arrest order came shortly after Iraq’s top federal court ruled it was not in its jurisdiction to pronounce an opinion on Kurdish parliamentarians who backed a referendum on Kurdistan’s independence from the country where 92% voted for secession.
The Iraqi government said recently it was proceeding with legal measures against government servants from Kurdistan who promoted the referendum, saying it had prepared a list of names of those persons for prosecution.
Baghdad has repeatedly challenged the constitutionality of the poll, and has taken a set of penal measures against the region, including closures of borders, bans on international flights and halts to financial dealings. Erbil, meanwhile, insists it remains ready for dialogue with Baghdad but without the precondition of reversing the referendum’s outcome.