The Iraqi high tribunal said yesterday it will issue a verdict in two weeks in the trial of Saddam Hussein’s cousin known as “Chemical Ali” and other former regime officials who face a possible death sentence if convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in a 1980s military campaign against the Kurds.The decision will be announced on June 24, prosecutor Jaafar Al-Moussawi told The Associated Press after a short court session that he said was attended by the six defendants, including Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Saddam’s cousin and the former head of the Baath party’s Northern Bureau Command. He and the other defendants face charges that include crimes against humanity for their roles in the 1980s military campaign code-named Operation Anfal.
Ali Hassan denied he was responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Kurds in the late 1980s — attacks that earned him the nickname “Chemical Ali” — in a statement on May 10 as the defense wrapped up closing arguments.