Trial of the 'Hajjaj of Nugra Salman' Opens Thursday as Hundreds of Anfal Survivors Head to Baghdad

Peregraf — The trial of Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti is set to begin on Thursday, May 7, in Baghdad, as more than 200 people from the Kurdistan Region travel to testify over crimes committed during the Anfal campaign at Nugra Salman prison in 1989.

Ajaj, widely known among survivors as the "Hajjaj of Nugra Salman," is accused of overseeing systematic torture, starvation, and sexual violence against Kurdish detainees during the Anfal genocide carried out by Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime.

Confessions Reopened Anfal Wounds 

In statements published by Iraqi state newspaper Al-Sabah on August 21, 2025, Ajaj claimed that starvation was deliberately used against Kurdish prisoners.

"We used starvation as a weapon of war, no less deadly than military bombardment. Two-thirds of the detainees died in just ten months," he said.

He also claimed that rape was carried out on a daily basis inside the prison, describing it as an organized policy.

According to his account, around 3,000 Kurdish men, women, and children from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were transferred to Nugra Salman after Arab detainees were removed from the facility in 1989.

Survivors Prepare to Testify

For survivors and families of victims, the trial represents a rare opportunity for accountability decades after the Anfal genocide.

"This man had no mercy," survivor Ali Abubakr recalled, describing memories of torture and abuse inside the prison.

Ajaj became notorious among detainees, who nicknamed him "Al-Hajjaj" — a reference to the Umayyad-era governor Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, a historical figure widely associated in Islamic tradition with mass executions and brutality.

Years in Hiding Before Arrest

After the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, Ajaj disappeared for years, with rumors circulating that he had fled Iraq or died. 

Instead, authorities say he remained hidden in Salahuddin province, moving between Tikrit, al-Oja, and Baiji while allegedly altering his appearance through cosmetic procedures.

His arrest was announced on August 1, 2025, by the office of Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed — wife of then-President Abdul Latif Rashid — which said it had tracked him for eight months. The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) later confirmed the arrest and released photographs of him in custody. 

Symbol of the Anfal Genocide

Between February and September 1988, the Ba'ath regime killed and displaced an estimated 182,000 Kurds during the Anfal campaign, according to figures cited by Kurdish officials, though other estimates place the death toll lower.

Nugra Salman prison became one of the most notorious detention sites associated with the genocide.

Legal experts and survivors say the trial could become a significant moment in documenting crimes committed during Anfal and pursuing long-delayed accountability.