伊拉克绞刑处死萨达姆表弟"化学阿里"

Iraq on Monday executed Ali Hassan al-Majeed, the Saddam Hussein cousin and henchman widely known as "Chemical Ali", for crimes against humanity.

"The death sentence against Ali Hassan al-Majeed has been carried out today," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

Majeed, who earned his nickname because of his use of poison gas, was executed by hanging, a government statement said.

He had received four death sentences, the last around a week ago for an attack on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja in which thousands were killed.

Dabbagh said in the statement that Majeed was not subjected to any abuse during the execution, unlike the insults heaped on Saddam himself by Shi'ite Muslim observers when he was hanged in December 2006.

"Everyone abided by the government's instructions and the convicted was not subjected to any breach, chanting, abuse words, or insults," he said.

It was not clear if Majeed was hanged before or after a series of coordinated suicide bombings close to well-known hotels in Baghdad in which more than 30 people died.

The attacks were the fourth coordinated assault by suspected Sunni Islamist insurgents on targets in the capital since last August, aimed at undermining the Shi'ite Muslim-led government in the run-up to a March 7 parliamentary election.

Majeed had a reputation for ruthlessness in crushing Saddam's opponents that won him widespread notoriety. Many Iraqis feared him more than the leader himself.

He was captured in August 2003, five months after US forces invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam.

He was sentenced to hang in June 2007 for his role in a military campaign against ethnic Kurds, codenamed Anfal, that lasted from February to August 1988.

Majeed also received a death sentence in December 2008 for his role in crushing one Shi'ite revolt after the 1991 Gulf War and another in March 2009 for his involvement in killing and displacing Shi'ite Muslims in 1999.

His final death sentence came on January 17 for Halabja, when the Iraqi army used poison gas against Kurds. Around 5,000 people were believed to have been killed.

本周一，伊拉克以危害人类罪处死伊前总统萨达姆．侯赛因的表弟、绰号为“化学阿里”的前政权高官阿里．哈桑．马吉德。

伊拉克政府发言人阿里．达巴格当天称：“阿里．哈桑．马吉德已于今天被处死。”

伊拉克政府发表声明称，马吉德被处以绞刑。马吉德因使用毒气（镇压反对派）而获“化学阿里”绰号。

这是马吉德第四次被判处死刑。大约一周前，他因下令向伊拉克的库尔德村镇哈拉布杰释放毒气，致使数千人丧生而第四次被判处死刑。

达巴格在声明中称，与萨达姆不同的是，马吉德在受刑过程中未受到任何虐待。萨达姆2006年12月被执行绞刑时受到什叶派穆斯林观察员们的极大凌辱。

他说：“所有人都遵守了政府的指示，受刑者未受到任何侵犯、念咒、辱骂或凌辱。”

周一当天，伊拉克首都巴格达几家著名酒店附近发生自杀式连环爆炸事件，造成30多人死亡。目前还不清楚爆炸事件发生在行刑之前还是之后。

此次爆炸事件是自去年8月以来，逊尼派伊斯兰叛军针对巴格达发动的第四次连环袭击事件，目的是在今年3月7日议会选举之前推翻什叶派穆斯林领导的政府。

在萨达姆执政期间，马吉德因残忍镇压反对派而著称。很多伊拉克人对他的惧怕程度超过萨达姆。

马吉德于2003年8月被捕，当时美军入侵伊拉克已有5个月之久，萨达姆政权已被推翻。

2007年6月，马吉德因参与代号为“安法尔”（意为战利品）的针对库尔德种族的军事行动被判处绞刑。该行动从1988年2月持续至8月。

2008年12月，马吉德再次被判处死刑，罪名是他在1991年海湾战争结束后残酷镇压什叶派起义。2009年3月，他第三次被判处死刑，原因是1999年他参与屠杀和驱逐什叶派穆斯林。

今年1月17日，他最后一次被判处死刑，罪名是在哈拉布亚使用毒气镇压库尔德人，致使约五千人丧生。

Vocabulary:

henchman：an unscrupulous and ruthless subordinate, esp. a criminal（忠实的追随者，党羽）

run-up：a period of time leading up to an important event; the preparation for this（前期，准备阶段）

notoriety：the state, quality, or character of being notorious or widely known（声名狼籍）

codenamed：代号为，有代号的