Posted on 06/10/2007 11:03:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein's cousin — known as "Chemical Ali" — and other former regime officials for their roles in a 1980s military campaign against the Kurds said Sunday it would issue a verdict in two weeks.
All face a possible death sentence if convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the case.
The decision will be announced on June 24, prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi told The Associated Press after a short court session that he said was attended by the six defendants, including Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam's cousin and the former head of the Baath Party's Northern Bureau Command.
Al-Majid has denied he was responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Kurds in the late 1980s military campaign code-named Operation Anfal — attacks that earned him the nickname "Chemical Ali."
The prosecution says 180,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the operation. The defendants have claimed they were acting on orders and the campaign was aimed at Kurdish rebels supporting Iran during the 1980-88 Iran- Iraq war.
Saddam was a defendant in the case but was hanged last year after his conviction for the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail after a 1982 attempt on his life.
Other defendants include defense minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai; Sabir al-Douri, former director of military intelligence; Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi Armed Forces; and Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, former head of military intelligence's eastern regional office.
In April, the prosecutor, Munqith al-Faroon asked the court to convict and give the harshest penalty of death by hanging to al-Majid and his four co-defendants because they "did not have mercy on elderly people or women or children — not even animals or plants or the environment."
Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, the former governor of Mosul and head of the Northern Affairs Committee, also has been charged, but the prosecutor said he should be released because the evidence against him was insufficient.
A human skull is unearthed at a mass grave near the Iraqi town of Salman in February 2007. The Iraqi High Tribunal will on June 24 declare its verdict in the genocide trial of six former aides of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.(AFP/File/Ahmad Abdel Razzak)
Soon to be “Chem Lawn” Ali.
Ali Hassan al-Majid -- also known as "Chemical Ali" -- listens to evidence during the "Anfal" genocide trial at a Baghdad courthouse in January 2007. The Iraqi High Tribunal is to give its verdict on June 24 in the genocide and war crimes trial of Majid and five other defendants.(AFP/File/Darko Vojinovic)
We’re gonna have another swingin’ time in the old town...oh, yeah...
Does anyone know?
Last I heard he was alive and well in Europe somewhere!!
It's too bad that they couldn't come up with something more 'appropriate' for Chemical Ali.
Thought I saw him on Nick at Nite a week ago. Oh, wait, that was an old episode of "Bewitched", and it was Darrin's boss Larry that I was seeing...
Never mind.
If I were the President, I'd be leaning on this worm pretty hard about now...
S-N-A-P goes the N-E-C-K-O.
I thought they were the same guy.
LOL.
I heard that he wasn't charged because he was the Foreign Minister and not involved in handling domestic affairs. The powers that be seem to be satisfied that he wasn't involved in any of these things because as Foreign Minister, he was involved in international issues, not domestic issues.
Let’s hope there’re no phone cameras present this time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.