Tareq Aziz gets 10 years behind bars

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An Iraqi court has convicted former foreign minister Tareq Aziz for seizing the displaced persons’ money and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, according to a well-known source. Monday’s verdict is separate from an execution order that the former diplomat already faces. The verdict comes at the end of a trial for Saddam-era atrocities against Shiite Kurds. Court officials say Aziz was spared the death penalty because of his lesser involvement in the atrocities than some of his co-conspirators. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said last week that he would not sign the execution order against Aziz, who served as deputy prime minister under Saddam Hussein. Aziz was handed the death penalty on October 26 for the suppression of Shiite religious parties in the 1980s, and is also on trial for a crackdown on Iraqi Kurds, of which Talabani is one. SH (P)/SR 1