Iraq court says incompetent to act on pro-independence Kurdish MPs

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com)  Iraq’s top federal court ruled on Wednesday it is not in its jurisdiction to pronounce an opinion on Kurdish parliamentarians who backed a referendum on Kurdistan’s independence from the country.

The announcement, made in a statement quoted by Iraqi news websites, effectively turns down a motion by the Iraqi government which asked for the court’s advice on parliamentarians who backed and were engaged in the September 25th vote where 92% of voters in the autonomous region backed separation from Iraq.

The court had previously ruled that the referendum was unconstitutional, and asked to cancel its result. The Iraqi government said recently it was proceeding with legal measures against government servants who promoted the referendum, saying it had prepared a list of names of those persons.

Kurdish members of the Iraqi parliament suspended their attendance after the chamber voted in September to reject the poll which was also met with regional and international disapproval.

Baghdad has repeatedly challenged the constitutionality of the poll, and has take 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.