Second Trial Session of Ajaj al-Tikriti Set for Thursday in Baghdad
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Wednesday, lawyer Eyad Kakayee, who represents Anfal victims in the case, said the hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the attendance of plaintiffs and defense lawyers.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The second trial session of Ajaj Ahmad Hardan al-Tikriti, the former head of Nugra Salman Prison and a key figure accused in crimes linked to the 1988 Anfal campaign against the Kurds, is scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal in Baghdad.
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Wednesday, lawyer Eyad Kakayee, who represents Anfal victims in the case, said the hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the attendance of plaintiffs and defense lawyers.
Kakayee stated that the court is expected to hear testimony from Ajaj al-Tikriti during the session and officially document his statements. He added that the court may also issue a final ruling regarding the fate of the accused during the same hearing.
The case was previously postponed by the Rusafa Court on May 7 after testimony was heard from 25 witnesses. According to information obtained by Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad during the first session, Ajaj al-Tikriti denied some of the crimes committed at Nugra Salman Prison, prompting the court to delay proceedings until Thursday for further investigation.
Several attendees and witnesses spoke in detail about abuses and crimes committed under Ajaj’s supervision during the hearing.
Ajaj Ahmad Hardan al-Tikriti, widely referred to as the “executioner of Nugra Salman Prison,” is from the Al-Bu Nasir tribe of the Nizar clan. He served as one of the prison supervisors at Nugra Salman Prison in Muthanna province during the rule of Saddam Hussein and is accused of involvement in the Anfal campaign, which targeted Kurdish civilians in 1988.
Following the fall of the Ba’ath regime in 2003, Ajaj reportedly fled Kirkuk and later settled in Jaramana near Damascus, Syria. According to reports, two of his sons, who were affiliated with al-Qaeda, were killed in clashes in the Zlu'iya area near Salahaddin province.
Nearly 37 years after the Anfal genocide, Ajaj al-Tikriti was arrested on July 31, 2025, by the Iraqi National Security Service.