Iraq’s “Chemical Ali” gets second death sentence

An Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein's cousin "Chemical Ali" to death on Tuesday for the killing of thousands of Shiites in a ruthless crackdown on their uprising after the 1991 Gulf War.

Hassan al-Majid, 67, is already on death row after being convicted of genocide for the brutal military campaign against Iraq's Kurds in the late 1980s, listened quietly to the verdict before muttering "Praise be to God."

Majidwas first condemned to be hanged last year for the killing of tens of thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, but that sentence was held up by political wrangling.

The judge did not say when this execution would be carried out, but Majeed can appeal the decision. It was unclear whether this sentence would also be delayed by the political dispute.

Judge Mohammad al-Oreibi also sentenced a former top Baath party official, Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafour, to hang for his involvement in the crackdown on Shi'ites in the south, and 10 others to sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison.

As al-Oreibi read the verdict reached by a five-judge panel, Ghafour became agitated and started shouting: "Down with the occupation, down with the collaborators!" “God be praised, I will fall as a martyr to the nation."

Oreibi ordered Ani removed from the courtroom, saying "Get out of here, you dirty Baathist."

Saddam's Sunni Arab-led government quelled a Shiite uprising in 1991. Investigators discovered dozens of mass graves containing thousands of decayed bodies after U.S. forces ousted his government in 2003.

No remorse

Oreibi told journalists afterward that the sentences were agreed by four out of five judges deciding the cases.

Majeed's reputation for ruthless use of force to crush opponents won him widespread notoriety during Saddam's rule and led many Iraqis to fear him even more than the leader himself.

The judge said Majeed had showed no remorse.

"Most of them apologized and felt regret during the trial except Ali Hassan al-Majeed," he said, explaining why other Baath officials had softer sentences than Majeed.

The Iraqi High Tribunal was set up in 2003 to try former members of Saddam's government and was the same one that sentenced the former dictator to death.

Saddam was executed in December 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shiite men and boys after a 1982 assassination attempt.

His half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti was executed two weeks later in a botched hanging that ripped off his head. Two other members of the former government have also been executed.

Also now on trial is former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, the public face of Saddam Hussein's regime, who is facing charges over the execution of dozens of merchants, accused of breaking state price controls in 1992.