By Lauren Mellinger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – On December 2, the Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced Ali Hassan al-Mahid, also known as “Chemical Ali” to death for his role in suppressing a Shia uprising in 1991. This is the second death sentence al-Majid has received since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The court also sentenced former Baath Party official Abdulghani Abdul Ghafour to death for the same offense. Both al-Majid and Ghafour are scheduled to be hung, for “committing wilful killings and crimes against humanity.” Ten other defendants on trial received sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years in prison, while some received life sentences. It is estimated that between 20,000 and 100,000 people were killed in the regime’s attempt to put down the rebellion.
In explaining why other defendants received lighter sentences, Judge Mohammad al-Uraibi stated that “Most of them apologized and felt regret during the trial except Ali Hassan al-Majid.”
Al-Majid received his first death sentence in June 2007 after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his actions during the 1988 Anfal campaign against the Iraqi Kurdish population, which killed more than 100,000 people, including many women and children. Also part of the Anfal campaign was the gassing of the Kurdish village of Halabja in northern Iraq, killing more than 5,000 civilians. For his role in the Anfal campaign, he received the nickname “Chemical Ali.”
During the Shia uprising in 1991, Al-Majid served as the Defense Minister and was considered to be Saddam Hussein’s “right-hand man.” As a member of the Revolutionary Command Council, Al-Majid was routinely called upom to put down Shia and Kurdish rebellions.
During the trial for Al-Majid’s involvement in “crushing” the Shia uprising following Saddam Hussein’s defeat in the first Gulf WAr, witnesses gave testimony of the mass executions; including accounts of family members being thrown from helicopters, massacres in and around the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and the bombing of Shia towns and villages in southern Iraq.
The execution for Al-Majid’s prior conviction was never scheduled due to a political dispute. The Iraqi High Tribunal has not set a date for execution following this latest conviction, leaving time for Al-Majid to appeal the decision, if he chooses.
For more information, please see:
BBC –New Chemical Ali Death Sentence – 2 December 2008
CNN – Chemical Ali Sentenced – Again – to Death – 2 December 2008
Guardian – Iraq’s ‘Chemical Ali’ Gets Second Death Sentence for Shia Massacre – 2 December 2008
International Herald Tribune – Iraq’s ‘Chemical Ali’ Gets Second Death Sentence – 2 December 2008
