Saddam`s aide dies in Iraqi prison

Risingbd Desk: Iraq`s Tariq Aziz, known as the face of Saddam Hussein`s regime on the world stage for many years, has died in an Iraqi prison, Iraqi officials say on Friday.

Aziz, who was the international face of the Iraqi regime for many years, died in hospital after suffering from poor health in jail.

He was 79 years old.

The officials, however, did not specify what Aziz died from, but it was known that he was suffering from heart and respiratory problems, high blood pressure and diabetes.

 

Aziz was Iraq`s foreign minister between 1983 and 1991 and deputy prime minister between 1979 and 2003.

Born Mikhail Yuhanna in 1936, Aziz was the highest ranking Christian official under Saddam`s presidency and a member of the former ruling Baath Party`s inner circle.

 

He was sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal in 2010 for his role in human-rights abuses committed under the former government, which was overthrown in 2003 when Iraq was invaded by a US-led alliance.

Aziz surrendered to US forces shortly after the invasion and had been a prisoner since.

Agencies

risingbd/ IRAQ/ June 5, 2015/ Nasim/ Mahfuz