11/16/2020 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – The Dohuk Appeal Court has reopened a judicial case about the illegal expropriation of Christian lands in Nahla. This announcement comes one month after the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq’s autonomous region decided to create an ad hoc commission examining this issue.
The Court of Appeal had rejected the findings of the lower court, saying that the property title was not properly examined and thus the case was handled in a negligent manner. The property title, which ICC has also examined, says that the land belongs to the families of Nahla’s Christian farmers.
However, Kurdish farmers have slowly built structures on this land and thus have illegally appropriated the property over a number of years. This problem dates back to the reign of Saddam, and since it has been unresolved for so long, the difficulties with finding a solution have only deepened. For Nahla’s Christian families, this long-standing issue has directly impacted their livelihoods and has forced some families to relocate elsewhere, including by emigrating.
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