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Death sought for 'Chemical Ali' | Death sought for 'Chemical Ali' |
(30 minutes later) | |
Iraqi prosecutors have asked for death sentences against five defendants in the so-called Anfal trial for the 1980s crackdown on Iraq's Kurdish population. | Iraqi prosecutors have asked for death sentences against five defendants in the so-called Anfal trial for the 1980s crackdown on Iraq's Kurdish population. |
They include the alleged mastermind of the campaign - Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his use of poison gas attacks. | They include the alleged mastermind of the campaign - Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his use of poison gas attacks. |
Mr Majid has acknowledged ordering scores of villages destroyed, saying they were "full of Iranian agents". | Mr Majid has acknowledged ordering scores of villages destroyed, saying they were "full of Iranian agents". |
The trial was adjourned until 16 April when the defence will sum up its case. | The trial was adjourned until 16 April when the defence will sum up its case. |
Saddam Hussein was a co-defendant in the case but charges against him were dropped after his execution in December 2006 over the killing of 148 Shia Muslims in the town of Dujail. | |
'No mercy' | |
Four of the defendants are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity but Mr Majid faces additional charges of genocide. | |
In his closing remarks, chief prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon asked the court to convict the five and give them the harshest penalty because they "did not have mercy on elderly people or women or children - not even animals or plants or the environment". | In his closing remarks, chief prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon asked the court to convict the five and give them the harshest penalty because they "did not have mercy on elderly people or women or children - not even animals or plants or the environment". |
A sixth defendant - former Mosul governor Taher Tawfiq al-Ani - should be released however, the prosecutor said, because there was insufficient evidence against him. | A sixth defendant - former Mosul governor Taher Tawfiq al-Ani - should be released however, the prosecutor said, because there was insufficient evidence against him. |
During the 1987-1988 campaign, Iraqi Kurds were killed or displaced as a result of decrees and military operations forcing them out of "prohibited areas" of northern Iraq. | |
The government said it was carrying out counter-insurgency operations against Kurdish guerrilla fighters. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 100,000 Kurds, mainly civilians, died in the operation. |
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