A Dutch businessman who appealed his conviction for selling material used in Iraqi chemical weapons saw his sentence increased by two years yesterday, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 26).
The Hague Appeals Court ruled that Frans van Anraat must serve 17 years in prison for providing Saddam Hussein's regime with more than 1,100 tons of the chemical thiodiglycol, a component of mustard agent used against Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. Van Anraat was aware of how his material was being used, the court said.
"He did not do this out of sympathy for Saddam's regime, he was driven by naked greed," the four judges stated in their decision.
The court ruled, however, that there was not enough evidence to designate the gas campaign against the Kurds as genocide, and that victims could not seek damages in this case.
"We are on the one hand happy that van Anraat got 17 years, but on the other hand disappointed that the court did not say it was genocide," said Kurd Kamaran Sulaeman.
The maximum prison sentence in the Netherlands is 20 years, except in cases in which a defendant receives a life sentence or a terrorism conviction.
Prosecutor Simon Minks indicated he might appeal the genocide ruling to the Dutch Supreme Court. Kurdish victims of Iraqi chemical weapons are apparently preparing a civil case against van Anraat.
"Then we can include more victims and the amount of money you can ask for is much higher," said attorney Liesbeth Zegveld (Mike Corder, Associated Press/Northwest Florida Daily News, May 9).