Aziz, the eight of spades in the deck, was the international face of Saddam’s regime. On Monday, an Iraqi court created to try officials of the former regime sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity – specifically the persecution of Islamic political parties opposed to Saddam. The Christian Science Monitor reported that Aziz, the former deputy prime minister as well as foreign minister, claimed that he merely had a political position and was not directly involved in any crimes. International experts have criticized the decision to try former Saddam officials in Iraq, where there is strong political influence in the justice system, rather than in an international court.
Centcom/Reuters
