Second Session of Trial of “Hajjaj Nugrat al-Salman” Set for Baghdad Court

PUKMEDIA

Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti.

The second hearing in the trial of Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, known as the “Butcher (Hajjaj) of Nugrat al-Salman,” is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 14 May 2026, at the Rusafa Court in Baghdad. Dozens of Kurdish witnesses and relatives of victims of the Anfal campaign are expected to attend.

During the first session, the court heard testimonies from 25 witnesses and complainants regarding the defendant’s alleged crimes during his time overseeing Nugrat al-Salman prison, where victims of the Anfal campaign were reportedly held in the 1980s.

In total, 221 witnesses from the governorates of Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, Duhok, Diyala, and Salah al-Din have provided or are expected to provide testimony in the case, alongside more than 300 formal complaints.

Hajjaj have played a supervisory role at Nugrat al-Salman prison, where detainees were subjected to severe abuses, including torture and killings, particularly during the Anfal campaign, which heavily affected Kurdish civilians, including women and children.

According to case records, the defendant admitted to several of the charges during the investigation phase, including crimes committed against Kurdish detainees.



PUKMEDIA