Trial of ‘Hajjaj of Nugra Salman’ Adjourned Until May 14 After Anfal Survivor Testimonies

Peregraf — Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti was brought before the Rusafa Court in Baghdad on Wednesday as more than 200 survivors of the Anfal campaign testified about alleged crimes committed at Nugra Salman prison during the late 1980s.

After hearing witness testimonies, the judge adjourned the trial session until May 14.

Ajaj, 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 operations carried out under Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime.

Confessions Intensified Attention on the Case

In statements published by the Iraqi state newspaper Al-Sabah on August 21, 2025, Ajaj described starvation as a deliberate method 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 stated that rape inside the prison was practiced daily as an organized policy.

According to his account, nearly 3,000 Kurdish men, women, and children from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were transferred to Nugra Salman prison in 1989.

Survivors Describe Prison Abuse

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

"This man had no mercy," survivor Ali Abubakr said while recalling torture and abuse inside the prison.

Ajaj became widely known among detainees, who compared him to the historical figure al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf because of his brutality. 

Arrest After Years in Hiding

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, Ajaj disappeared for years.

Authorities later said he remained hidden in Saladin Governorate, moving between Tikrit, al-Oja, and Baiji while allegedly changing his appearance through cosmetic procedures. 

His arrest was announced on August 1, 2025, by the office of Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, then First Lady of Iraq and wife of then-President Abdul Latif Rashid. The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) later confirmed the arrest and released photographs of him in custody.

Symbol of the Anfal Operations

Between February and September 1988, an estimated 182,000 Kurds were killed or disappeared during the Anfal campaign, according to the Iraqi High Tribunal's chief prosecutor.

Nugra Salman prison remains one of the most notorious symbols of the mass detention and killing of Kurdish civilians during that period.

Legal experts and survivors say the ongoing trial could become a landmark step toward documenting Anfal crimes and pursuing long-awaited justice.