Chemical Ali will hang for his lead role in the death of 180,000 Kurds murdered during the “Anfal” campaign, mounted between February and September 1988 by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.
(photos de halabja)
Chemical Ali will soon join his cousin Saddam in hell after being found guilty today for the genocide of 180,000 Kurds in Iraq.
The BBC reports on the ruling today:
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.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali” for using poison gas in the Anfal campaign, was convicted of genocide.
Two fellow defendants were equally sentenced to death while two others received life prison sentences.
Saddam had also been on trial for the Anfal campaign when he was executed in December 2006 for other crimes.
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.
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
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
Rest in peace children of Halabja.
Sadlly, world outrage is muffled… After all, the 180,000 dead in 7 months were only Iraqis.