Information and liaison bulletin - Institut kurde de Paris

• 14 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 272 • November 2007
cousin and henchman of the former
dictator, whose nickname
comes from his taste for the use of
chemical weapons, should have
been executed with his accomplices
30 days after confirmation of
the sentence on 4 September. “We
are determined that justice be done
and that these three people be handed
over to the (Iraqi) legal authorities”
declared Mr. al-Maliki, whereas
the condemned men remain under
the responsibility of the US Occupation
Forces. The Prime Minister
has set up a committee to enquire
into the reason for the delay in carrying
out the sentence.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, nicknamed
“Chemical Ali”, the former Assistant
Director of Military Operations,
Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti
and the ex-Defence Minister Sultan
Hashim al-Tai were sentenced to
death by the Iraqi Courts for their
responsibilities in the repression of
Kurds (the Anfal campaign 1987-
88) which caused over 180,000
deaths. Several major obstacles,
both legal and political, have since
prevented the execution of the
three men, today guarded by the
US Army. The Iraqi President, Jalal
Talabani, and the Vice-President
Tariq al-Hashemi, have refused to
sign the order of execution for the
three men. Mr. Talabani is opposed
on principal to capital punishment,
Mr. Hashemi, for his part fears that
the execution of General al-Tai
would sabotage efforts at national
reconciliation in Iraq, reviving the
frustrations of the Sunni Arabs.
Finally, the fact that the legal deadline
for the execution — October
4th — has passed implies that it
would henceforth be illegal to execute
Chemical Ali and his coaccused,
according to their defence
lawyer. “No one calls to question the
fate of Chemical Ali, but it is that of
Sultan Hashem is questioned”, retorted
the Iraqi government
spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh on 17
November. “Justice must prevail, the
case is in the hands of the Supreme
Court, which will decide if the execution
requires the agreement of the
Presidential Council”, he explained.
• THE KURDISH MINISTER
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EXPOS-
ES THE ASSASSINATION OF 27
WOMEN IN FOUR MONTHS IN
SO-CALLED “HONOUR
CRIMES”. On 26 November, the
Minister for Human Rights in the
Kurdistan Regional Government,
Aziz Mohammed, declared that at
least 27 women have been killed in
the last four months in Iraqi Kurdistan
by members of their family,
in “honour crimes”. “In the course of
the last four months ten women were
killed in Irbil, eleven others in Dohuk
and six in Suleimaniyah”, he
declared. “These are honour crimes.
We have to say that violence against
women is continuing”, lamented Mr.
Mohammed. Over the same period,
97 women have also attempted
to commit suicide by setting themselves
alight to escape domestic
violence he pointed out.
The Kurdish authorities and many
associations formed to defend
women’s rights are acting against
these crimes, most often perpetrated
by members of the family for
allegedly “immoral” conduct.