BAGHDAD — On Tuesday, Iraq’s highest judicial authority dismissed a legal dispute that had previously put a temporary stop to three contentious laws enacted by the parliament in the previous month.

These laws, which received backing from various political factions, encompass an amendment to the personal status law, which grants greater power to Islamic courts over family-related issues such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Critics argue that this change could undermine the rights of women in the country.

In addition, one of the laws introduces a general amnesty, which adversaries contend may allow for the release of individuals implicated in public corruption or embezzlement, along with militants accused of war crimes. The third piece of legislation aims to restore lands seized from Kurds during Saddam Hussein’s regime, which raises concerns that it may lead to the displacement of Arab residents from those areas.

The Federal Supreme Court of Iraq announced on Tuesday that it was retracting its earlier ruling that had frozen the implementation of these three laws after the lawsuit was brought forth by several lawmakers challenging their validity. The court emphasized that all legislations must align with the nation’s constitution.

The lawmakers involved in the lawsuit argued that the voting was improper, as the parliament addressed all three bills in a single voting session rather than treating each bill separately. Following this argument, the Federal Supreme Court suspended the laws until the case was resolved.

Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani publicly commended the approval of the general amnesty law, expressing his satisfaction with the process.

“In response to the calls from mothers of the innocent and voices from prisons, we strived within the Parliament to build a political consensus for the passage of this law,” he stated.

“We are grateful to have succeeded where others did not, achieving our goal of voting on the amnesty law and confirming its enactment.”