An amnesty introduced one year ago in favor of Iraqis who left the country illegally is still open for those wanting to return to the country, a foreign ministry official said Sunday.
"The amnesty for any Iraqi who left the country illegally does not have a time limit," said Munther Mutlaq, director of the consular department at the foreign ministry.
"Citizens who are abroad will not be questioned about the reasons for their stay outside Iraq," Mutlaq stressed, quoted by the official INA news agency.
Iraqis in exile can learn more about the amnesty by asking at Iraq's diplomatic missions abroad or by e-mailing the foreign affairs ministry, he said.
The Revolutionary Command Council announced on July 4th last year that it would no longer prosecute citizens who had forged documents in order to leave, or had not returned home at the end of official missions.
Iraqis already serving jail terms for such offences were to be released, if they had not been sentenced for another crime, the announcement said.
In June last year, President Saddam Hussein also declared an amnesty for university teachers who had left Iraq illegally - BAGHDAD (AFP)
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