Tariq Aziz sentenced to 7 years.

[alial1234]

Iraq: Ex-Saddam aide gets 7 years in Kurdish case

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI (AP) – 19 hours ago

BAGHDAD — One of Saddam Hussein's best-known lieutenants was convicted Sunday of helping to plan the forced displacement of Kurds from northeastern Iraq and sentenced to seven years in jail.

It was the second conviction against Tariq Aziz, the silver-haired former foreign minister and deputy prime minister who argued his boss' case in the halls of the United Nations and other international forums.

Dozens of villages were destroyed, thousands of people displaced and children separated from their families as part of Saddam's campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s.

"Because you committed the crime of forced displacement against the Kurdish people, the court has decided to sentence you to seven years in prison," Judge Mahmoud Salih said. Aziz did not respond as the sentence was handed down.

The defense has claimed Aziz, a fluent English-speaker and the only Christian in Saddam's mostly Sunni Muslim inner circle, spent most of his time on diplomatic missions outside Iraq and was not involved in atrocities.

"The verdict against Mr. Aziz was a political decision," defense attorney Badee Izzat Aref said.

Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," former Interior Minister Sadoon Shakir and former regional official Mizban Khudr Hadi also received seven-year sentences. Four other former regime members received six years in jail while five were acquitted.

Sunday's ruling came more than four months after Aziz was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against humanity in the 1992 execution of Iraqi merchants.

In that case, the defendants were accused of involvement in the July 1992 roundup and execution of 42 merchants accused by Saddam of manipulating food supplies to drive up food prices when the country was suffering hardships under sanctions.

Aziz was cleared of any role in a separate case over the brutal crackdown on Shiite protesters that followed the 1999 assassination of a revered cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr — the father of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. That trial saw Saddam's cousin, al-Majid, receive a third death sentence.

Saddam was hanged in December 2006 for his role in the killing of Shiite Muslims in the town of Dujail after an assassination attempt in 1982.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...udaziAD99R0D500

[ShiaBen]

I think at this point these sentences are irrelevant to most Shias. I mean, killing these Saddam agents, doesn't bring our dead people back. Also now with Saddam out, the people in his govt. are irrelevant as our new threats are Al Qaida, the Sunni Nationalist in Iraq who want to kill Shias, the instability of Iraq in general, and other things.

Edited August 3, 2009 by ShiaBen

[Noah-]

I think at this point these sentences are irrelevant to most Shias. I mean, killing these Saddam agents, doesn't bring our dead people back. Also now with Saddam out, the people in his govt. are irrelevant as our new threats are Al Qaida, the Sunni Nationalist in Iraq who want to kill Shias, the instability of Iraq in general, and other things.

Bro, that is not what justice recommends!!!!!!!! They have Alqaida and Sunni nationalists in Iraq because of these old Baathist dogs and their underground networks. They all need to be locked or eliminated. That is for peace and humanity. People who already lost all of their loved ones have nothing left but to see the murderers of the Iraqi nation to receive sentences or to be hanged.

[Yasmeen]

7 years? ONLY?!!!!

That's not much for justice...

Edited August 4, 2009 by Yasmeen

[Noah-]

7 years? ONLY?!!!!

That's not much for justice...

Sunday's ruling came more than four months after Aziz was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against humanity in the 1992 execution of Iraqi merchants.

22 years, (15+7)... maybe more to come...

He is 73 years old anyways..plus 22..hopefully he dies in prison.

[Irishman]

22 years, (15+7)... maybe more to come...

He is 73 years old anyways..plus 22..hopefully he dies in prison.

Yeah, the probability of living to 95 or more is fairly low, especially in a prison environment.

[Basim Ali]

I read the news in Arab News (news paper in KSA). And I was like, 'WOW!' How can the cruel world, hang such cruel people? They're supposed to be on the same sides right? This is probably a sign that they have much more, new cruel people coming, and are disposing of old, cruel people.

(wasalam)

Basim Ali Jafri

[Hassan kachal]

I remember when they invaded they always made special mention of him being a christian.

This is crusader justice, the muslim baathis get killed, rightfully so, but the christian 'brother' gets a prison sentence and tbh he is probably better off in his cushy jail than most iraqis on the outside.

Animals, both baathis and invaders.

[Gypsy]

(salam)

This is way to mild! :dry: He was part of a government that was responsible for genocide against Shias and Kurds. :mad:

[thats me titch]

^ Exactly.

There's still more sentences to be made yet. "An eye for an eye"

[Dirac Delta function]

I remember when they invaded they always made special mention of him being a christian.

This is crusader justice, the muslim baathis get killed, rightfully so, but the christian 'brother' gets a prison sentence and tbh he is probably better off in his cushy jail than most iraqis on the outside.

Animals, both baathis and invaders.

The courts are being run by Iraqis, not Americans. If it were up to the Americans, Saddam would still be alive.

This is a sentence for this particular case, there may be more that he will be tried for, carrying much more serious consequences.

[redman 123]

Tariq Aziz will die in prison. Because he is over the age of 70, he cannot be sentenced to death under Iraqi law.

If it were up to the Americans, Saddam would still be alive.

What makes you say that?