Monday, December 8, 2008

Chemical Ali Sentenced to Death in Iraq

Remember him? He is Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin "Chemical Ali" Hassan al-Majid and he received a second death sentence, this time for crushing a Shiite uprising in the wake of Iraq's defeat in the l99l Gulf War. Once among the most feared members of Saddam's regime, he uttered "thanks be to God" as chief judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa declared him guilty and imposed the sentence at the end of the trial, which began in August 2007.

I don't know why it takes so long to have the trials, etc. He already faces the gallows after being convicted last year for his role in the killing of tens of thousands of Kurds in a crackdown in the late l980's, in which chemical weapons were used against civilians. Legal wrangling has delayed that execution. They think if they die they will automatically go to Heaven, but he might be in for quite a surprise.

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