Iraq's Federal Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the death sentence against Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, a former Baath-era prison official convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity, sexual violence, and the murder of Kurdish detainees at the notorious Nugra Salman prison during the 1988 Anfal campaign.

The ruling confirms the Iraqi High Criminal Court's May 14 verdict, finding al-Tikriti responsible for systematic abuses, including starvation, dehydration, torture, and sexual violence against Kurdish prisoners.

Under Iraqi law, the case will now be referred to the Presidency of the Republic, where a presidential decree is required before the sentence can be carried out.

Nugra Salman prison, located in Iraq's southern Muthanna province, became a symbol of the Anfal genocide, where thousands of Kurdish civilians—including women, children, and the elderly—were detained under brutal conditions. Iraqi judicial authorities concluded that more than 1,000 detainees died in the prison, while the enforced disappearance of 1,068 people formed part of the genocide case.

The appeals decision marks another significant step in Iraq's efforts to hold perpetrators of the Anfal genocide accountable, nearly four decades after the crimes were committed.

While many survivors welcomed the ruling, they stressed that justice also requires continued efforts to locate mass graves, identify missing victims, and preserve the memory of those who perished during the Anfal campaign, which is estimated to have claimed the lives of around 182,000 Kurds.