Iraq issues death sentences in al-Sadr assassination case
An Iraqi criminal court on Monday sentenced two men to death for their involvement in the 1980 assassination of prominent Shiite cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister, Bint al-Huda, during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
The Iraqi National Security Service said in a statement received by Shafaq News that the court convicted Saadoun Sabir and Haitham Abdulaziz of participating in the killing, which also targeted members of the Islamic Dawa Party and other civilians.
The statement described the ruling as part of Iraq's broader transitional justice efforts, adding that the agency had arrested the suspects and conducted investigations under judicial supervision.
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al‑Sadr (1935–1980) was a leading Shiite cleric, philosopher, and founder of the Islamic Dawa Party, a major opposition force to Saddam Hussein's regime. After Saddam was deposed in 2003, Iraq established the Iraqi Special Tribunal (later the Iraqi High Tribunal) to prosecute regime-era crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Israeli airstrikes hit Tyre and Nabatieh in south Lebanon
Shafaq News – Southern Lebanon On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple sites near the southern city of Tyre, with explosions heard across the area. According to Lebanese media outlets, Israeli forces carried out a drone strike on Wadi al-Zrariya, while another raid struck the vicinity of Mays Castle near the town of Ansar in Nabatieh. 🔴 غارة إسرائيلية إستهدفت أطراف بلدة أنصار في جنوب لبنان — Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) August 20, 2025 A strike also hit a residential apartment in the al-Housh area on the outskirts of the city, leaving at least three people wounded. Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes were observed flying at low altitude across southern Lebanon. — LBCI Lebanon News (@LBCI_NEWS) August 20, 2025 Israel has not commented on these operations yet. According to UNIFIL, 4,812 Israeli violations have been recorded since the ceasefire with Lebanon took effect on November 27, 2024, leaving more than 230 dead and 480 wounded. اضرار الغارة الاسرائيلية على حوش صور — LBCI Lebanon News (@LBCI_NEWS) August 20, 2025
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq captures top ISIS operative south of Baghdad
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqi security forces arrested a senior ISIS operative south of Baghdad, a security source confirmed on Wednesday. The source told Shafaq News that the detainee, tasked with overseeing financial stipends in the group's Diyala 'province,' was captured under judicial orders and transferred for interrogation. Since early 2025, Iraqi forces have intensified joint operations against ISIS remnants, killing at least 75 militants and detaining more than 50. Data compiled by Shafaq News from security and official reports shows raids concentrated across nine provinces, with Kirkuk recording the highest activity, followed by Saladin, al-Anbar, Diyala, Baghdad, Maysan, Nineveh, and al-Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region.
Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Israel launches second phase of Gaza ground assault
Shafaq News – Gaza Israel launched the second phase of Gideon's Chariots military operation, marking the start of a ground assault on Gaza, army spokesperson Effie Defrin revealed on Wednesday. Defrin told Israeli reporters that the army has begun preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, with forces now controlling its outskirts. Defrin added that the army's 99th Division is operating in al-Zaytoun in southeastern Gaza City, where troops recently uncovered a Hamas tunnel, while additional forces are preparing to join fighting in Jabalia after heavy bombardment. He further claimed that the military is providing humanitarian and civil services to residents during the operation. He confirmed that the Israeli army has ordered 60,000 new reserve call-ups starting in September, extended deployments for several battalions, and issued new evacuation orders for residents of northern Gaza City, following earlier directives for al-Sabra and al-Zaytoun neighborhoods in the southeast. אושרה הוצאת צווי מילואים במסגרת השלב הבא במבצע ״מרכבות גדעון״במסגרת ההערכות לשלב הבא במבצע ״מרכבות גדעון״ הוצאו הבוקר כ-60,000 צווי מילואים. בנוסף, 20,000 אנשי מילואים שגויסו, יקבלו הודעה על הארכת הצו הנוכחי. ההחלטה בנושא המילואים התקבלה לאחר דיונים מעמיקים על מסגרת הסד״כ… — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 20, 2025 On a possible truce deal after Hamas agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal, he noted, 'The agreement lies with the political leadership. We are prepared to achieve the objectives of the campaign and intensify the damage inflicted on Hamas in Gaza City whenever instructed.' Meanwhile, posting on X, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that further displacement and intensifying hostilities risk deepening the catastrophic situation, with more than 80% of Gaza under evacuation orders. Further displacement and an intensification in hostilities risk worsening an already catastrophic more than 80% of Gaza already impacted by evacuation orders, it is unimaginable that civilians could be compelled to move to an even smaller area. — ICRC in Israel & OT (@ICRC_ilot) August 20, 2025
