Shafaq News/ On Sunday, President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, issued a special pardon for several inmates and signed a decree upgrading the status of "Taq Taq" to a district.

A statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency stated, "In accordance with paragraph 6 of Article 10 of the amended Law No. 1 of 2005 governing the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani issued Decree No. 336, granting a special pardon to a number of inmates in the reformatories of the Kurdistan Region as part of an ongoing pardon initiative."

The statement quoted the official spokesperson for the presidency, Dilshad Shahab, who added: "The decree includes 17 inmates who have served most of their sentences and whose health conditions are unstable."

Shahab explained that "this decree follows a prior recommendation from the President of the Region, who had formed a joint committee between the presidency, the Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Region, relevant ministries, the Judiciary Council, and the Human Rights Commission of Kurdistan to assess the conditions of prisons and reformatories."

The committee, according to Shahab, has been investigating the cases of these inmates, determining that despite serving most of their sentences, they no longer pose a threat and are ready to reintegrate into society. The committee thus recommended their release.

In a separate decision, President Nechirvan Barzani also issued Decree No. 335 on Sunday, officially designating "Taq Taq" as a district.

The presidential spokesperson confirmed that this decision followed a proposal from the Council of Ministers to establish the new district, which was subsequently approved by the President.