The legitimacy of the 2017 referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan Region from the perspective of the Iraqi constitution and international law

The purpose this study is to investigate the legitimacy of holding the 2017 referendum of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and measure people's opinion. According to the review of legal theories and the study of government bills, the experience of Kosovo and the opinions of the court judges, the question is: Is the holding of the 2017 referendum of the Kurdistan Region legitimate in international law and the Iraqi constitution? The research method is a descriptive-analytical type of content analysis. this study shows that the independence of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, will be legitimate in the case of occupation, the systematic violation of human rights by the ruling regime in Iraq. Non-implementation of Article 64 of the Treaty of Sèvres, historical challenges of Kurdistan's accession to Iraq, violations of 55 articles of the constitution by the Iraqi government, disregard for principles of participation and balance, and efforts to diminish Kurdistan's role and inability to defend the Kurdistan region by Iraq, have prompted the Kurdish people to support the conduct of the 2017 referendum. These issues have led to the referendum being viewed as a legitimate democratic and peaceful means of expressing the people's will. The people of the Kurdistan region conveyed their message to the central government peacefully. Despite opposition from the central government, and international community, this effort culminated in the holding of the referendum in September 2017. Although this action was not universally accepted by the international community, considering the legal and historical context, it seems legitimate.