IRAQ: DEATH SENTENCE AGAINST THE ‘ANFAL EXECUTIONER’ AL-TIKRITI UPHELD

Iraq’s Federal Court of Cassation on July 2, 2026 upheld the death sentence against Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti for genocide and crimes against Kurdish detainees at the Nugra al-Salman prison during the Anfal campaign.

The court’s president, Judge Saad al-Lami, told the Iraqi News Agency the sentence was upheld because al-Tikriti’s responsibility for genocide targeting unarmed Kurdish civilians had been established. He said the file would be referred to the presidency for a decree approving the execution.

Al-Lami said al-Tikriti had committed grave crimes against detainees at Nugra al-Salman, including starvation, denial of water, torture and the rape of a number of women, which formed the basis of the conviction.

For many survivors, al-Tikriti represents the crimes committed by the Baath regime against the Kurdish population. The former official was regarded as one of the most notorious figures responsible for the Nugra al-Salman prison in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province.

The desert prison remains synonymous among survivors with systematic torture, starvation, isolation, and extrajudicial executions. Many Kurds deported during the so-called Anfal campaign disappeared there or were subjected to severe abuse. Survivors describe daily beatings, humiliation, and psychological violence inside the prison complex.

After the fall of the Baath regime, Tikriti managed to remain in hiding for years. Only after lengthy investigations was he arrested last year by Iraqi security forces.

Already at the opening of the trial in May, dozens of witnesses and relatives testified before the court. Many traveled from different parts of Kurdistan to Baghdad in order to testify against the former officer. The proceedings were closely followed by numerous media outlets and human rights organizations and are considered one of the most significant recent trials addressing the Anfal crimes through legal means.

The “Anfal Operation” is regarded as one of the greatest crimes against humanity since World War II. Under this name, Saddam Hussein’s regime carried out genocidal campaigns against the Kurdish population and Christian minorities in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) between 1986 and 1989 in eight phases.

“Anfal,” meaning “spoils of war,” refers to the eighth sura of the Quran, which addresses warfare against “unbelievers.” The operation reached its peak in 1988. Within only six months, approximately 182,000 people were killed under the pretext of “counterinsurgency.” Millions more were injured, displaced, or deported to camps, where many died from hunger, disease, and lack of basic necessities.

Thousands of women and girls were abducted. More than 4,000 villages, 1,800 schools, 300 hospitals, 3,000 mosques, and 27 churches were destroyed. The use of chemical weapons was documented in at least 42 cases.

International attention particularly focused on the chemical attack on Halabja on March 16, 1988, in which more than 5,000 people were killed in a single day. In this context, the attack on Sardasht in eastern Kurdistan also became widely known, where mustard gas was dropped over residential areas on June 28, 1987.

For many survivors and relatives, the verdict against Tikriti marks a rare moment of legal accountability. Numerous perpetrators of the Anfal crimes managed to evade prosecution for decades.

Accordingly, the death sentence is understood not only as punishment for a single perpetrator, but also as recognition of the suffering endured by thousands of Kurdish families. Many affected families hope that more individuals involved in the genocide will be identified and brought before the courts.