Iraq arrests 5 former Ba’ath officials over execution of top cleric Sadr

Iraqi officials have arrested five people for involvement in the execution of a prominent Shia cleric and his sister during the brutal crackdown of former dictator Saddam Hussein on religious dissent.

“Through a series of precise intelligence operations, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) managed to arrest five of the most notorious criminals from the followers of the former regime, who had recorded pages of terror and mass killing,” INSS spokesperson Arshad al-Hakim said in Baghdad Friday.

He said the arrests of the “criminal gang” were “carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Dissolved Ba’ath Party Prohibition Law and with high-level coordination with all relevant authorities and the judicial institution.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani praised the arrests on his X account, saying, “We reaffirm our commitment to tracking down criminals, no matter how long they have been on the run.”

Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr was a renowned Iraqi Shia cleric and political dissident in Iraq, known for his opposition to the former Ba’ath regime. His resistance grew stronger after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which exacerbated Hussein’s concerns about a potential uprising in Iraq.

As the then-Baghdad government clamped down on Shia activists in 1980, Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda – a religious scholar and activist known for her vocal opposition to the Ba’ath regime’s oppression – were arrested.

They reportedly endured torture prior to their execution by hanging on April 8, 1980. Authorities declined to hand over their bodies, fearing their graves might serve as focal points for resistance.

Sadr is the father-in-law of the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

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The execution of Sadr intensified dissent against Saddam, igniting movements that played a significant role in the eventual collapse of the Ba’ath regime.

The primary suspect in Sadr’s execution, Saadoun Sabri Jamil Jumaa al-Qaisi, held high-ranking positions under Saddam, including director of state security and director of security in the port city of Basra as well as the central city of Najaf. He is accused of overseeing the detention and execution of the senior Shia cleric and members of opposition parties.

Qaisi fled to Syria after the 2003 fall of Saddam’s regime, assuming the alias “Hajj Saleh” to evade prosecution. He returned to Iraq on February 26, 2023, and was arrested in Erbil — 44 years after the execution.

According to the Iraqi National Security Service, Qaisi faces a potential death sentence. A final verdict is expected next week.

Haitham Abdul Aziz Faiq, another of the men arrested, was also a top commander. He is accused of supervising the killings of Sadr and his sister as well as members of the Islamic Dawa Party.

The third suspect is Khairallah Hammadi Abd, a former major general. He was apparently involved in the suppression of dissidents in Baghdad in 1974 and forcibly displacing regime opponents.

Shaker Yahya is accused of taking part in the executions of detainees in Baghdad in 1984, and of preventing people from holding ceremonies to mourn Sadr.

The final suspect was identified as Nimat Mohammed Suhail. His crimes included “leading arrest and torture campaigns targeting more than 40 university students in Sulaymaniyah and other universities, involvement in the arrest of three opponents in Sulaymaniyah,” according to the INSS spokesperson.

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