Supreme Court judge quits in protest over KRG rulings

A Kurdish member of the Federal Supreme Court withdrew from the court today in protest against recent decisions concerning the Kurdistan Region, escalating tensions between Baghdad and Erbil since the court issued unprecedented rulings last month.

Judge Abdul Rahman Zebari announced his withdrawal at a press conference in Erbil this morning, stating, "I found myself in a position where my efforts, academic qualifications, and professional capabilities were unable to achieve their goal in defending the interests of the Kurdistan Region as a constitutionally recognized region in many articles of the federal constitution."

Zebari protested what he described as “a trend in the court's consecutive decisions towards gradually returning to the foundations of the central governance system, and gradually departing from the principles of the federal system by expanding the scope of exclusive powers of federal authorities."

In February, the Supreme Court issued two unprecedented rulings related to the KRG, abolishing the quota seats reserved for minorities in the KRG parliament, and mandating the federal government to directly pay KRG employees, undercutting Erbil’s authority.