24/01/2010 LONDON – A recent widespread petition launched on 21 January calls on readers to sign a letter regarding the advocacy of the implementation of the sentence of Chemical Ali on the 22nd anniversary of the Halabja massacre. The deadline for collecting signatures is 15 February 2010, after which the signed letter will be sent up to a list of prominent officials to ask for their support in the matter.
The petition letter can be found here , Supporters are asked to send up their name and title of occupation (name of profession, student etc.) to halabja_campaign@hotmail.com.
On 17 January 2010 the Iraqi Tribunal Court sentenced Ali Hassan Al-Majid (also ‘Chemical Ali’) to death by hanging for the fourth time in a row. He was found guilty of his role in carrying out the Anfal genocide in the late eighties and the attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja through the use of chemicals. In total, 187,000 men, women and children lost their lives, including 5,000 on 16 March 1988 in Halabja.
The precise date of the planned execution of Chemical Ali is yet unknown. Raz Jabary, the designer of the petition, is of the opinion that this should not take place before the Iraqi parliamentary elections set for 7 March. “The prospect of implementing the sentence before that time could threaten the stability and security situation in the run-up towards the elections,” he says.
