The Iraqi High Criminal Court sentenced Ajaj Ahmed Hardan to death by hanging on Thursday for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Kurds during the 1988 Anfal campaign under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
According to the Iraqi News Agency, the ruling was issued over Hardan’s role in crimes carried out during the Anfal operations, which targeted Kurdish communities in Iraq.
The Iraqi National Security Service announced in August 2025 that Hardan had been arrested following a six-month intelligence operation. Authorities said his family had falsely claimed he was dead in an attempt to mislead security services.
Investigators eventually located and detained him in Salah al-Din Governorate after obtaining judicial authorisation.
During questioning, Hardan reportedly confessed to multiple crimes committed while serving at Nukra al-Salman prison, including the rape of a Kurdish female detainee, systematic starvation of prisoners and participation in extrajudicial killings carried out by Iraqi intelligence services at the time.
Authorities said the verdict was based on the defendant’s confessions, witness testimony and evidence gathered during the investigation.
The Anfal campaign, launched in 1988, resulted in the killing and disappearance of tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians and has widely been recognised as genocide.
