Iraq's Former Deputy Prime Minister Jailed for Role in Executions
Apologist for Saddam Hussein regime, Tariq Aziz, sentenced to 15 years
The former Iraqi deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, was jailed for 15 years today for his part in the execution of dozens of traders during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Aziz, who for years was the public face of Hussein's regime, was found guilty by the Iraqi high tribunal of contributing to the death of 42 traders found guilty of profiteering in 1992. The traders were held responsible for raising the cost of goods against a state pricing policy, while Iraq was under United Nations sanctions.
Aziz, known for his distinctive white hair and dark-rimmed glasses, is believed to have been responsible for rubber-stamping the execution orders against the traders as a member of Saddam's revolutionary command council. He denied playing a part in the executions.
The 72-year-old, who became the Iraqi deputy prime minister in 1979, was known on the world stage as a diplomat and apologist for the Ba'athist regime's policies, defending the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and meeting world leaders such as Vladimir Putin in 2000.
The sentence comes less than two weeks after Aziz was cleared of killing and displacing Shia Muslims in 1999, and is his first conviction under the Iraqi high tribunal process, which sentenced Saddam to death by hanging in 2006.
It is not known how much of the sentence will be served by Aziz, who was one of Saddam's closest advisers for more than 20 years and featured as the eight of spades on the Pentagon's "most wanted" deck of cards. He is known to be chronically ill.
Three members of Saddam's family were convicted by the tribunal for their part in the executions. Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in the gassing of Kurdish villagers in the 1980s, was sentenced to 15 years. Majid has already received three separate death sentences for his role in the 1999 killings, the Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the 1980s and for suppressing the 1991 Shia uprising.
Two half-brothers of Saddam, including Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, were sentenced to death by the tribunal for "crimes against humanity".
Aziz, who for years was the public face of Hussein's regime, was found guilty by the Iraqi high tribunal of contributing to the death of 42 traders found guilty of profiteering in 1992. The traders were held responsible for raising the cost of goods against a state pricing policy, while Iraq was under United Nations sanctions.
Aziz, known for his distinctive white hair and dark-rimmed glasses, is believed to have been responsible for rubber-stamping the execution orders against the traders as a member of Saddam's revolutionary command council. He denied playing a part in the executions.
The 72-year-old, who became the Iraqi deputy prime minister in 1979, was known on the world stage as a diplomat and apologist for the Ba'athist regime's policies, defending the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and meeting world leaders such as Vladimir Putin in 2000.
The sentence comes less than two weeks after Aziz was cleared of killing and displacing Shia Muslims in 1999, and is his first conviction under the Iraqi high tribunal process, which sentenced Saddam to death by hanging in 2006.
It is not known how much of the sentence will be served by Aziz, who was one of Saddam's closest advisers for more than 20 years and featured as the eight of spades on the Pentagon's "most wanted" deck of cards. He is known to be chronically ill.
Three members of Saddam's family were convicted by the tribunal for their part in the executions. Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in the gassing of Kurdish villagers in the 1980s, was sentenced to 15 years. Majid has already received three separate death sentences for his role in the 1999 killings, the Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the 1980s and for suppressing the 1991 Shia uprising.
Two half-brothers of Saddam, including Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, were sentenced to death by the tribunal for "crimes against humanity".
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