Relatives of victims of the Anfal campaign gathered in Baghdad on Thursday as an Iraqi court reviewed the case of a former prison commander accused of grave human rights violations committed during the Ba’ath-era crackdown on Kurds in 1988.
The defendant, Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, a former commander at Nugra Salman prison in southern Iraq, appeared before the Rusafa Criminal Court in a case widely regarded as one of the most significant legal proceedings linked to the country’s past abuses.
According to court reports, a final ruling was expected during the session, following earlier investigations in which the accused was reported to have acknowledged involvement in some of the alleged crimes.
More than 200 relatives of victims from areas including Garmian, Khurmatu, Sulaimani, and Erbil attended the proceedings, both inside and outside the courthouse, hoping for a conclusion in a case that has remained unresolved for decades.
The accused is alleged to have overseen severe mistreatment of detainees at Nugra Salman prison, including torture, executions, forced disappearances, and other abuses against Kurdish prisoners held during the Anfal campaign.
Security authorities arrested him in mid-2025 following an intelligence operation. Officials described him as one of the remaining fugitives linked to the former regime’s security apparatus.
The Anfal campaign, carried out by the former Ba’ath government in 1988, resulted in the deaths and disappearance of tens of thousands of Kurds and is internationally recognized as a genocide. Anfal campaign
The case is being heard in Iraq, where courts have increasingly pursued accountability cases related to abuses committed under the previous regime.
Al-Tikriti’s arrest came nearly four decades after the alleged crimes, marking one of the latest efforts by Iraqi authorities to address unresolved cases tied to that period of mass violence.
