Iraq

Chemical Ali and Tareq Aziz sentenced to 15 years for war crimes

Article published on the 2009-03-11 Latest update 2009-03-11 13:24 TU

Chemical Ali
(photo: AFP)

Hassan al-Majid, a.k.a 'Chemical Ali', Tareq Aziz and six others were sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against humanity charged with the murders of 42 Baghdadi traders in 1992. The merchants who were killed were accused of speculating on food prices while the country was suffering under the weight of UN-imposed sanctions after the Kuwait invasion of 1990.

Majid was condemned to death last week for the murder of Shi'a Muslims 10 years ago. It is the third death sentence he had received for various crimes against humanity.

He received the first death sentence for gassing tens of thousands of Kurds in the Anfal campaign of 1998, when he killed Shi'as who had risen up against Sadaam Hussein's Baathist regime after the 1991 Gulf War.

Majid and Aziz were also accused of displacing and killing about 2,000 clansmen of Massud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president. Aziz was acquitted of the charges earlier this month.

Majid, a relative of Sadaam Hussein, is a former defence minister.