The ministry announced on Tuesday the new issue of the Official Gazette of Iraq, includes “law number (1) of 2025, amending the personal status law number (188) of 1959, law number (2) of 2025 amending the general amnesty law number (27) of 2016, and law number (3) of 2025, the land restitution law.”
The amendment to the personal status law, which governs marriage, divorce, and inheritance, has been widely supported by Shiite blocs in parliament. The amendment is widely centered on religious rules. The bill faced strong opposition in parliament, with over 130 lawmakers signing a petition against it and activists warning it could legitimize child marriage and erode legal protection for women.
The general amnesty law amendment, a key Sunni demand, revises the 2016 law’s interpretation of affiliation with terrorist organizations. The change was a key prerequisite for Sunni blocs to join the ruling State Administration Coalition. Sunni blocs argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned in Shiite-dominated Iraq since 2003 over alleged terrorism links.
The land restitution law, introduced by Kurdish lawmakers, aims to reverse Baath-era land confiscation policies in disputed regions, where lands were seized from Kurdish and Turkmen owners and given to Arab settlers. The tactic is widely seen to have been an effort by the Baath regime to alter the demographic makeup in those regions.
All three laws have been deeply controversial, sparking political disputes among Iraq’s various blocs. With their publication in the Official Gazette of Iraq, the laws are now in effect. The real challenge will be the implementation of these laws and the potential political opposition that may arise.
