Opening of the Judicial Investigation Office at the Duhok Institute of Forensic Medicine

Within the framework of the "Review of Mandatory Forensic Medical Reports" project, the Judicial Investigation Office at the Duhok Institute of Forensic Medicine was officially inaugurated on the morning of 9 August 2022.
The opening ceremony was attended by Lionel LAFORGUE, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Kurdistan Region; Judge Ramadhan Mohammed, Deputy Chief Judge of the Duhok Court of Appeal; Dr. Afrasyab, Director General of Health in Duhok; Dr. Nawzad Mohammed, Director of the Duhok Institute of Forensic Medicine; Raid Waleed, Representative of the Duhok Police Directorate; together with Dr. Ahmed Miran, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Investigator Organization for supporting role of law and Democracy (IOL), Ali Abdulrahman, Project Manager, and Hakar Amedi, Project Coordinator.
The inauguration was held in an official ceremony attended by representatives of several media outlets. The office aims to streamline procedures, facilitate services for citizens, and strengthen access to timely and effective justice.
The "Review of Mandatory Forensic Medical Reports" project is being implemented by the Investigator Organization for supporting role of law and Democracy (IOL) in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and with financial support from the Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP) over a period of four months.
During the implementation period, all necessary equipment and operational requirements were provided for the Judicial Investigation Offices at the Institutes of Forensic Medicine in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok. Through close cooperation with the Kurdistan Judicial Council, the Courts of Appeal of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok, the Ministry of Health, and the departments of the Institutes of Forensic Medicine.
The project includes the standardization of investigation forms relating to homicide victims and suspicious deaths, as well as forensic examination forms for sexual violence cases. It is worth noting that, pursuant to Order No. (881) issued by the Kurdistan Judicial Council on 28 March 2022, these Judicial Investigation Offices were officially established in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok within the framework of this project.
From now on, the Judicial Investigation Offices will be responsible for receiving requests and investigation forms related to deceased persons, as well as forensic examination reports concerning sexual assault cases. Police stations will also receive their official reports directly from these offices.