Aran Organization works for reactivation of the Journalists Pension Fund

On July 6, 2023, the Aran Organization for the Development of Civic Culture in Slemani held a seminar at the Titanic Hotel through Clinical Legal Activity.
The event was supported by The National Endowment For Democracy in cooperation with the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate. The seminar focused on discussing the reactivation of the Journalists Pension Fund, which was established based on the Journalists Retirement Law (Law No. 13, 2001).

The seminar was divided into four parts:

First part: Presented by Judge Rzgar Mohammed Amin, who discussed the conception of Law No. 13 of the year 2001. He elaborated on how he proposed the bill and the process through which it was passed by the Kurdistan Parliament.

Second part: Presented by Dr. Saman Fawzy, a professor of Media Law, who highlighted the importance of this law for the livelihood of journalists.

Third part: Presented by Mr. Bzhar Hakeem, Deputy of the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, who provided insight into the current situation of the Journalists Pension Fund.

Fourth part: Presented by Lawyer Sami Jamal, an attorney at the Aran Organization and an officer of Clinical Legal Activity, who discussed future steps.

Since 2014, the Kurdistan Regional Government stopped operating and supporting the Journalists Pension Fund. This decision has been deemed unlawful, as the executive authority does not have the right to annul laws. Laws passed by parliaments can only be repealed through the enactment of another law or a decision from the same parliament that initially passed the law.