An Iraqi court today sentenced to death Ali Hassan al-Majeed, Saddam Hussein's cousin and once one of the most feared men in Iraq, for orchestrating the genocide of tens of thousands of ethnic Kurds.
Majeed, known as Chemical Ali for his use of gas against the regime's opponents, had been on trial for his role in the 1988 Anfal (Spoils of War) campaign against ethnic Kurds that prosecutors say killed up to 180,000 people.
The court also sentenced to death two former military commanders under Saddam for their roles in the campaign. Two other commanders were sentenced to life in prison, while charges were dropped against the former governor of Mosul province for lack of evidence.
During Anfal, thousands of villages declared "prohibited areas" were razed and bombed as part of a scorched-earth campaign. Thousands of villagers were deported, many executed. Mustard gas and nerve agents were used to clear villages.
Majeed admitted during the trial he ordered troops to execute all Kurds who ignored orders to leave their villages, but never confirmed ordering the use of chemical weapons.
At the time of the campaign, he was head of the Northern Bureau Command and was given powers comparable to those of Saddam himself in the north.
The defendants have said Anfal had legitimate military targets -- Kurdish guerrillas who had sided with Iran during the last stage of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war.