Baghdad
Saddam Hussein’s cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid was sentenced to death this week for leading a genocidal campaign that killed 180,000 Iraqi Kurds two decades ago. Al-Majid gained the nickname “Chemical Ali” for ordering the use of mustard gas and nerve agents against the Kurds, in retaliation for their siding with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. An Iraqi court found him guilty of mass murder and crimes against humanity. Al-Majid, once a terrifying figure who displayed ghoulish delight on videotaped executions, trembled in silence as the death sentence was read. As he left the courtroom, he muttered loudly, “Thanks be to God, now I’m leaving.” Kurdish leaders expressed disappointment that Saddam—who went to the gallows in December for other atrocities—was never held accountable for the Kurdish genocide.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The rise and rise of VTubersUnder The Radar This anime-inspired internet subculture is going global
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
