An Iraqi court sentenced Ali Hassan al-Majeed, the Saddam Hussein henchman known as “Chemical Ali”, to death by hanging for a 1988 gas attack that killed about 5,000 Kurds, a court official said.
Majeed, a cousin of Saddam’s who earned his nickname because of his use of poison gas, was convicted for an attack on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja. He already faces death sentences in three other cases.
“The decision has been issued today to sentence Ali Hassan al-Majeed, to death,” said Aref Abdul-Razzaq al-Shahin, the head of the court.
The Iraqi High Tribunal also sentenced former Defence Minister Sultan Hashem and former military intelligence chief Sabir al-Douri to 15 years in prison each, and Abd Mutlaq al-Jubouri, a former regional intelligence chief, to 10 years.