ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The compensation period for former political prisoners jailed under the Baath regime has been extended by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), according to an official. Those formerly eligible to receive only ten years of reparations pay will now be entitled for life provided they are not receiving a separate salary from the government. People in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq imprisoned for political reasons under the regime of Saddam Hussein receive a pension as compensation for their experiences from the government. Political prisoners from the Kurdistan Region are paid by the KRG, and receive 500,000 IQD ($420) a month. Those in areas controlled by the federal government are compensated no less than 1,200,000 dinars a month for 25 consecutive years, according to Muhsin Sherwani, an official from the KRG Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs. The decision dated October 15, was made by Masrour Barzani, the KRG’s premier. This financial support will only go for "those who do not have any salary,” who makes up a minority of the total number of political prisoners. According to data Rudaw has received from the KRG, of the 5,091 political prisoners registered with the martyrs ministry receiving financial compensation from the KRG, 4,287 of them have a government salary as well. The KRG has long sought to reduce its expenses. In the decision, Barzani urged the martyrs ministry to "review the list of the names of the political prisoners to confirm their eligibility,” adding that those who have been unlawfully listed as political prisoners should be determined. The KRG martyrs ministry administers the material and financial support for families of fallen Peshmerga, Anfal survivors, and others considered martyrs by the government. Political prisoners and people with special needs are also covered by its remit. This latest decision is part of continued efforts by the KRG to materialize a contentious reform bill on pensions and salaries, signed into law in mid-January. The legislation’s stated aims include the elimination of ghost employees, other fraudulent claims to more than one civil service salary, the reduction of high pensions for MPs and other high ranking officials, as well as the standardization of retirement regulations. The law also seeks to eliminate illegally retired individuals, who have never served in government or security institutions, but receive retirement pay due to their association with party patronage networks. More than 247,000 people in the Kurdistan Region receive pensions from the government, including 91,000 Peshmerga soldiers. These figures make up 12 percent of the overall salaries the government pays on a monthly basis, according to Remand Khalid, the head of the General Directorate of Pensions from the Economy and Finance Ministry’s legal department.
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