'Chemical Ali' Slated to Hang

Convicted of genocide, cousin of Saddam has death sentence approved

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 29, 2008 5:50 AM CST

Copied

'Chemical Ali' Slated to Hang — Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged use of chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds, listens to prosecution evidence during the Operation Anfal trial, in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. Iraq's presidency endorsed the execution of Saddam Hussein's cousin... (Associated Press)

Saddam Hussein's cousin "Chemical Ali" will be hanged now that the last legal obstacle to his execution has been eliminated by the Iraqi presidency council, Reuters reports. The execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid will take place in a matter of days, according to a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Majid was convicted last June of genocide against Iraqi Kurds during the 1980s. He remains in the custody of the American military, which has not yet received a request for his transfer to an Iraqi institution. Little public sympathy exists for Majid, whose brutality toward his opponents caused many Iraqis to fear him even more than Saddam. (More Chemical Ali stories.)

Report an error