Consultative Meeting to Review the Draft Guidelines (Procedures in Criminal Courts) and the Study on Fair Trial Standards and Barriers in the Criminal Courts of the Kurdistan Region

Within the framework of a project supported by the NED, National Endowment for Democracy, the IOL, Investigator Organization for supporting role of law and Democracy held a consultative meeting in Erbil on 18 April 2026.
The meeting brought together 21 judges, public prosecutors, judicial investigators, the Director of the Office of the President of the Judicial Council, the Council's Project Coordinator for this project, a representative of the Independent Human Rights Commission, and members of the Bar Association. The meeting aimed to review the Draft Guide to Procedures in Criminal Courts and discuss the study entitled “Standards and Challenges Facing Fair Trial Proceedings before Criminal Courts in the Kurdistan Region.”
During the first session, Retired Judge Rahim Al-Aqili presented the draft Guide to Procedures before Criminal Courts. This was followed by an extensive discussion during which participants provided comments, observations, and recommendations aimed at improving and enriching the draft.
Following that, legal researcher Azad Abdulqadir Waladbagi presented the study on the standards and challenges affecting fair trial proceedings before criminal courts in the Kurdistan Region, highlighting its key findings and recommendations. The participants further enriched the consultative meeting through their professional legal observations and constructive recommendations.
It is worth noting that similar consultative meetings will also be held in Sulaymaniyah and Duhok to broaden the consultation process and incorporate the views of judicial and legal stakeholders before finalizing the project's outputs.