A tribunal in Baghdad has sentenced Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi deputy prime minister, to seven years’ imprisonment for his role in the deportation of Kurds in 1980.

The punishment is in addition to the 15 years Mr Aziz is already serving for other crimes he committed while a member of the regime of the deceased dictator Saddam Hussein.

The deportations took place at the beginning of the war between Iraq and Iran. Large groups of Shiite Kurds were declared Iranian citizens and driven out of the northern provinces of Kirkuk and Diyala.

In total, eight people were on trial for their role in the campaign. Among them was Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid – nicknamed ‘Chemical Ali’ for his use of chemical weapons against Kurdish people – a nephew of, and important assistant to, Saddam Hussein. He was also sentenced to seven years in jail. For other crimes he has already been sentenced to death.

Photo of Tariq Aziz from Wikimedia Commons