Death Sentence Issued Against “Butcher of Nugrat al-Salman” in Baghdad Court Trial

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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,” was held today, Thursday, 14 May 2026, at the Rusafa Court in Baghdad. Following the proceedings, the judge officially handed down a death sentence against the defendant.

This landmark ruling follows the first session held on 7 May 2026, which was attended by dozens of Kurdish witnesses and relatives of victims of the Anfal campaign. During that initial session, 25 witnesses and complainants provided harrowing testimonies regarding the defendant’s crimes while overseeing Nugrat al-Salman prison in the 1980s.

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

Hajjaj is recorded to have played a central supervisory role at Nugrat al-Salman prison in Samawah, where detainees were subjected to severe abuses, including torture and killings. The defendant had previously admitted to several charges during the investigation phase, including specific crimes committed against Kurdish detainees.

His arrest was originally announced on 31 July 2025 by the Office of the former First Lady of Iraq, which urged survivors and the families of the missing to come forward to ensure justice was served.


PUKMEDIA