Peregraf— Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, known among survivors as the "Ajaj of Nugra Salman," was sentenced to death on Wednesday during the second hearing of his trial at the Rusafa Court in Baghdad, a source from the court session told Peregraf.
Ajaj was brought before the court for the first time on May 7, when survivors of the Anfal campaign testified about alleged crimes committed at the notorious Nugra Salman prison during the late 1980s.
After hearing testimonies during the first session, the judge had adjourned proceedings until May 14 before issuing the death sentence during Wednesday’s hearing.
Accused of Torture, Starvation, and Sexual Violence
Ajaj 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.
The case gained major attention following statements attributed to Ajaj and published by Iraqi state newspaper Al-Sabah on August 21, 2025.
"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 in the published statements.
He also described rape inside the prison as an organized and daily practice.
According to the published account, nearly 3,000 Kurdish men, women, and children from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were transferred to Nugra Salman prison in 1988.
Survivors Recall Abuse
For survivors and victims’ families, the trial represented a rare opportunity for accountability decades after the Anfal campaign.
"This man had no mercy," survivor Ali Abubakr said while recalling torture and abuse inside the prison.
Ajaj became widely known among detainees as "Al-Hajjaj," in reference to the historical figure al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, because of his reputation for brutality.
Years in Hiding Before Arrest
After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Ajaj disappeared for years.
Authorities later said he had remained hidden in Salahaddin 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, then Iraq’s First Lady and wife of former President Abdul Latif Rashid.
The Iraqi National Security Service later confirmed the arrest and released photos of him in custody.
Symbol of the Anfal Campaign
Between February and September 1988, an estimated 182,000 Kurds were killed or disappeared during the Anfal campaign, according to figures cited by the Iraqi High Tribunal’s chief prosecutor.
Nugra Salman prison remains one of the most notorious symbols of the detention, torture, and deaths of Kurdish civilians during that period.