Iraq: Ex-Foreign Minister Aziz To Be Executed In 2012
By Ria Novosti
Iraqi authorities will execute ex-foreign minister Tariq Aziz after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, CNN said citing an adviser to the Iraqi premier.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced in mid-October that the last American soldiers would be brought home from Iraq by the end of December. The decision came after unsuccessful attempts by the U.S. administration to persuade Iraqi officials to permit as many as 20,000 American troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011 and grant them immunity from prosecution.
“It will definitely take place, and it will take place after the Americans leave Iraq,” said Saad Yousif al-Muttalibi, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Aziz gave himself up to U.S. forces in April 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and was sentenced to death in October 2010 for his role in eliminating Shia Muslim political parties in 1999.
The 75-year-old was diagnosed with lung problems, diabetes and hypertension. He temporarily lost the ability to speak after a stroke in January 2010.
