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Verdict due in Iraq genocide case 'Chemical Ali' sentenced to hang
(about 14 hours later)
A verdict is expected in the genocide case brought against Saddam Hussein and six co-defendants for their campaign against the Kurds in Iraq in 1988. A cousin of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for the murder of some 180,000 Kurds in 1988.
According to the prosecution, the campaign code-named Anfal led to the deaths of about 180,000 Kurd civilians. Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for using poison gas in the Anfal campaign, was convicted of genocide.
Many were buried in mass graves, only some of which have been discovered. Two fellow defendants were equally sentenced to death while two others received life prison sentences.
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was hanged in December 2006 after an earlier trial over the killing of 148 Shia Muslims in the town of Dujail. Saddam had also been on trial for the Anfal campaign when he was executed in December 2006 for other crimes.
His cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, remains in the dock in the Anfal case along with five other senior officials. While many Kurds would have liked to see Saddam himself executed for the crimes, Majid personified Anfal for them and was thus a good second-best, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.
Death penalty THE ANFAL CAMPAIGN Anfal (English: Spoils of War) took place between February and August 1988Officially it was a clampdown on Kurdish separatism in the northWith a civilian death toll of up to 180,000, Kurds regard it as a campaign of genocideMustard gas and nerve agents were used in air attacks Other victims were summarily executed or died in captivity class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/4877364.stm">Anfal campaign against Kurds
The Anfal campaign was the culmination of years of efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to suppress the Kurds in the north. Shaheen Mahmoud, a Kurdish civil servant in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, said news of the death sentences had made him shout with joy.
It was launched in early 1988 and lasted about seven months. It involved attacks with chemical weapons, the destruction of some 2,000 villages, the complete depopulation of large areas, mass deportations and the liquidation of as many as 180,000 people. "I was ecstatic... but the bigger joy would be to see Majid executed in Kurdistan [northern Iraq]," he told Reuters news agency.
It was ordered by Saddam Hussein, the chief accused in the case, but he was executed after conviction in the first case brought against him for the killing of Shia villagers at Dujail. 'We are innocent'
On the ground, though, it was Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, who was in daily charge of the Anfal campaign with sweeping powers. Majid stood impassively as his death sentence was pronounced.
He was known and feared by the Kurds as "Chemical Ali", because of his use of poison gases against them. He now faces genocide charges and a certain death penalty if convicted. But others shouted they were innocent and Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti, also sentenced to hang, declared to the court: "We defended Iraq and we were not criminals."
The other five defendants, all top military or intelligence figures, also face the death penalty on charges of mass murder and crimes against humanity. The death sentences were automatically sent to appeal. If the appeals fail, they will be hanged within 30 days of that ruling.
During the trial the judges heard harrowing testimony from about 70 witnesses. They described the chemical attacks, the deportations and the terrible conditions endured by those who survived the detention camps. According to Sunday's verdicts:
  • Ali Hassan al-Majid ("Chemical Ali"), ex-Baath leader in northern Iraq, was sentenced to death for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity
    • THE DEFENDANTS (CLOCKWISE) Ali Hassan al-MajidSaber Abdul AzizSultan Hashim AhmedHussein Rashid al-TikritiFarhan al-JibouriTaher Muhammad al-Ani Chemical Ali profile Timeline: Anfal trial
  • Sultan Hashim Ahmed, former defence minister, was sentenced to death by hanging for war crimes and crimes against humanity
  • Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti, ex-Republican Guard head, was sentenced to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity
  • Farhan al-Jibouri, ex-military commander, was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity
  • Saber Abdul Aziz, ex-intelligence chief, was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity
  • Taher Muhammad al-Ani, ex-governor of Nineveh province was cleared of war crimes and crimes against humanity for lack of evidence
    • 'You committed genocide'
    The chief judge, Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah, told Majid that he had ordered troops to kill or persecute Kurdish Iraqi civilians.
    "You subjected them to wide and systematic attacks using chemical weapons and artillery," he said in the televised trial.
    I'm sure that more executions will surely improve the situation Dave, Palo Alto, CABBC News website reader Have your say
    "You led the killing of Iraqi villagers. You restricted them in their areas, burnt their orchards, killed their animals. You committed genocide."
    Many of the Kurds killed in 1988 were buried in mass graves, only some of which have been discovered.
    The Anfal (Spoils of War) campaign was the culmination of years of efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to suppress the Kurds in the north, our correspondent adds.
    It was launched in early 1988 and lasted about seven months, involving attacks with chemical weapons, the destruction of some 2,000 villages, the complete depopulation of large areas and mass deportations.
    A notorious massacre at Halabja in March 1988, in which 5,000 people were killed by gas, was not included in the charges as it was seen as being separate from the Anfal campaign.