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| Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi rejects guilty verdict | Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi rejects guilty verdict |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Fugitive Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi has rejected a guilty verdict and death sentence passed on him in absentia as "politically motivated". | |
| In remarks at a press conference in neighbouring Turkey, he launched a stinging attack on the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. | In remarks at a press conference in neighbouring Turkey, he launched a stinging attack on the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. |
| On Sunday, an Iraqi court found Mr Hashemi guilty of running death squads. | On Sunday, an Iraqi court found Mr Hashemi guilty of running death squads. |
| Mr Hashemi was the most senior Sunni Muslim politician in Iraq and his case has sparked a political crisis. | Mr Hashemi was the most senior Sunni Muslim politician in Iraq and his case has sparked a political crisis. |
| Mr Hashemi insisted he was innocent of the charges and said he would continue to serve his country. | |
| He described the verdict as a "medal on my chest". | |
| He went on to accuse Mr Maliki's predominantly Shia-led government of "pushing for" increased sectarian strife and urged his supporters to show a "high standard of self-discipline". | |
| The political crisis around Mr Hashemi's case has coincided with a sharp upswing in violence in Iraq. | |
| In a thinly veiled reference to Iran, he also complained of the "growing influence of neighbouring countries in our internal affairs". |