Chemical Ali handed a second death sentence by courts

Published on Tuesday 2 December 2008 21:34

AN IRAQI court has sentenced to death Saddam Hussein's cousin "Chemical Ali" for the killing of thousands of Shiites in a ruthless crackdown after the 1991 Gulf war.

Yesterday saw the second death sentence handed down against Ali Hassan al-Majeed, who earned the nickname for his role in ordering poison gas against Kurdish villagers.

Majeed stood quietly in the courthouse showing no emotion as the verdict was read.

Last year, he was also condemned to be hanged for the killing of tens of thousands of Kurds in the 1980s. However, that sentence was held up by political wrangling.

The judge, Mohammad al-Uraibi, did not say when this execution would be carried out. Majeed can appeal.

A former top Baath party official, Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafour, was also sentenced to hang for his involvement in the crackdown on Shiites, and ten others face sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison. "The court has decided to execute by hanging the convicted Ali Hassan Majeed for committing … wilful killings and crimes against humanity," the judge said.

Saddam Hussein's Sunni Arab-led government quelled a Shiite uprising in 1991. Investigators discovered dozens of mass graves with thousands of bodies after US forces ousted him in 2003.

As the verdict was read out Abdul Ghafour, a former Baath Party official shouted : "Down with the US occupation! Down with the collaborators! Victory for jihad!"

However in the mainly Shiite south the verdict was welcomed.

"He deserves 20 executions because he conducted many crimes and massacres," said teacher Safah Kadham.

Saddam was executed in December 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity.

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.