Chemical Ali to hang for Halabja crimes- court

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Supreme Criminal Court has sentenced Ali Hassan al-Majeed, otherwise known as Chemical Ali, to death by hanging for his role in the Halabja massacre in which thousands of Kurds were killed by chemical attacks. The court also sentenced Farhan Motalk al-Juburi, the former chief of intelligence in the northern zone, to 10 years in jail. Former Minister of Defense Sultan Hashim Ahmed, and Saber Abdulaziz al-Dori, the former chief of military intelligence during the Halabja campaign, were given a 15-year sentence. The court session was attended by Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs in the Kurdistan region Majeed Hamad Ameen. On March 16, 1988, Halabja came under brutal chemical attacks at the hands of the former Iraqi regime, leaving more than 5,000 people killed and more than 10,000 others injured, according to Kurdish estimates. Halabja district is 83 km east of Sulaimaniya city, which lies 364 km north of Baghdad. SS (P) 2