Iraq’s top court orders suspension of Kurdistan independence referendum

Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court ruled on Monday (September 18) to suspend a referendum on independence of Kurdistan scheduled for September 25. A statement by the General Secretariat of Council of Ministers said the court had ordered the suspension of all activities related to the Kurdistan Region’s referendum until complaints claiming the vote would be unconstitutional have been heard. The court approved Prime Minister Haider al- Abadi’s demand to consider “the breakaway of any region or province from Iraq as unconstitutional”, his office said in a statement. Kurds are set to hold the referendum on September 25 but Baghdad opposes it, with lawmakers voting to reject it. Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey, Iran and Syria, also oppose the referendum, fearing it could fan separatism among their own ethnic Kurdish populations. High Referendum Council said on Sunday the process of referendum on independence of Kurdistan would continue, just few days after representatives from U.N., U.S., U.K., Germany and France suggested alternatives to postpone referendum.