Chemical Ali sentence: execution within 30 days

September 04, 2007

Baghdad, Iraq - "Chemical Ali" and three fellow henchmen under former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will be executed by hanging within 30 days.

The appellate chamber upheld the death sentences for Hussein's first cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majeed, nicknamed "Chemical Ali;" Sultan Hashem Ahmed, military commander of the Anfal campaign; and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, deputy general commander of the Iraqi armed force, assistant chief of staff for military operations, and former Republican Guard commander.

They were convicted for their role in the Anfal campaign -- an Iraqi Army offensive in the 1980s that killed up to 100,000 people in the country's Kurdish region. They were convicted on a variety of charges, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Under Iraqi law, the government must carry out the executions within 30 days after the appeals process has been exhausted.

Two other men, Mutlaq al-Jbouri and Saber al-Douri, had their life sentences upheld. Taha al-Ani was acquitted.