Execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid

Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented the wide range of abuses committed by Saddam Hussein's regime, including the 1999 Shia killings and the Halabja massacre. Ali Hassan al-Majid played a central role in orchestrating these crimes, which made his execution a significant act of justice for many Iraqis, particularly for those who had suffered under his brutal tactics.{{cite web |title=Iraq: The "Chemical Ali" case |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/iraq0205/1.htm |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=February 2005}}

The execution occurred at approximately 03:00 local time, conducted by hanging at the same facility where Saddam Hussein was executed. Iraqi state television later confirmed the execution.{{cite news |title=Iraq hangs 'Chemical Ali' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/25/chemical-ali-execution-iraq-kurd |work=The Guardian |date=25 January 2010}}{{cite web |title=Iraq hangs 'Chemical Ali' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/01/100125_chemical_ali.shtml |publisher=BBC World Service |date=25 January 2010}}{{cite news |title=Saddam Hussein's notorious henchman 'Chemical Ali' executed |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20100125-saddam-husseins-notorious-henchman-chemical-ali-executed |work=France24 |date=25 January 2010}}{{cite news |title=Chemical Ali executed in Iraq |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2010/1/25/chemical-ali-executed-in-iraq |work=Al Jazeera |date=25 January 2010}}{{cite news |title='Chemical Ali' Executed in Iraq |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/world/middleeast/26execute.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=25 January 2010 |access-date=25 July 2024}}

Ali Hassan al-Majid was tried multiple times for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. His first death sentence came in June 2007 for his role in the Anfal genocide. Additional death sentences were issued in 2008 and 2010, including for the chemical attack on Halabja. The final sentence was confirmed just days before his execution. Upon hearing his 2007 death sentence, al-Majid reportedly shouted:

{{Quote

| text = Thanks be to God.

| title = after hearing his death sentence in 2007

}}{{cite news |title=Court sentences 'Chemical Ali' to hang |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jun/24/iraq.kurds |work=The Guardian |date=24 June 2007}}

Following his execution, Ali Hassan al-Majid's body was transported to Tikrit, where he was buried next to Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay.{{cite news |title=Chemical Ali executed in Iraq |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20100125-saddam-husseins-notorious-henchman-chemical-ali-executed |work=France 24 |date=25 January 2010}}

• Al-Nasr Dureid, an MP candidate for the Iraqi National Movement, told Al Jazeera: "He was one of the biggest criminals of the previous regime, and we had to deal with him sooner or later. Most Iraqis believe that Ali Hassan al-Majid was a criminal and had to pay for what he did to the Iraqi people. I don't think that even the most extremist of people in Iraq believe that Ali Hassan al-Majid deserved any mercy of any kind."{{cite news |title=Chemical Ali executed in Iraq |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2010/1/25/chemical-ali-executed-in-iraq |work=Al Jazeera |date=25 January 2010}}
• Some victims' families expressed disappointment they couldn't witness the execution.
• Amnesty International criticized the execution, maintaining opposition to capital punishment.{{cite web |title=Iraq execution criticised |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2010/01/execution-039chemical-ali039-iraq-criticised-20100126/ |publisher=Amnesty International |date=26 January 2010}}
• The United Nations reiterated its stance against the death penalty in response to the execution.
• Then-Justice Minister Dhara Bahaa al-Deen expressed that a life sentence would have been a harsher punishment, stating, "We are still finding mass graves from the time of his reign."{{cite news |title=Suicide car bomber strikes Baghdad police forensics office |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/26/suicide-car-bomber-baghdad-police |work=The Guardian |date=26 January 2010}}

• Anfal genocide
• Halabja massacre
• Execution of Saddam Hussein
• Capital punishment in Iraq

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Category:January 2010 in Iraq