Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced on Friday that security forces had arrested a group of former officers responsible for executing prominent religious leader Mohammad Baqir Al-Sadr, his sister, and other political dissidents during the 1980s under Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric and a key founder of the Islamic Dawa Party, had issued a religious edict in the 1970s prohibiting membership in the Baath Party, even for appearance’s sake. Saddam Hussein’s regime executed him in 1980, accusing him of espionage and collaboration with Iran.
Al-Sudani stated that the arrest of these individuals represents a step toward justice, ensuring that the criminals of Saddam’s oppressive regime are held accountable, regardless of how long they have been on the run.
National Security Agency spokesperson Arshad Al-Hakim confirmed the arrest of five senior officers, describing them as some of the most notorious criminals of the former regime, responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. The arrests were carried out in accordance with the law banning the dissolved Baath Party and were coordinated with the judiciary and other relevant authorities.
The Iraqi National Security Agency reported that the lead executioner, Lieutenant General Saadoun Sabri, admitted to carrying out Al-Sadr’s execution in April 1980 in the Bismayah area south of Baghdad.
Alongside Sabri, four other officers confessed to participating in mass executions, claiming responsibility for around 24,000 killings of Iraqis affiliated with Kurdish parties, the Iraqi Communist Party, the Islamic Dawa Party, and other opposition groups from various sects and backgrounds. One of the officers stated that he was assigned to witness the executions as part of his duties.
According to the testimonies, one of the officers, a police general, admitted to executing around 6,000 Iraqis between the 1970s and the mid-1980s.
