The Hague – The Dutch supreme court has confirmed the conviction of Dutch businessman Frans van Anraat for his role in the 1988 mustard gas attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja.

The court reduced his sentence slightly from 17 years to 16.5 due to the length of the appeal process. Van Anraat was sentenced to 17 years in May 2007 on another appeal.

In the 1980s, van Anraat sold components of mustard gas to Saddam Hussein's regime. The Iraqi dictator later used mustard gas against the Kurdish population in Northern Iraq. The gas was also used by Iraq during its war with Iran.

The high court upheld a lower court's decision not to award damages to the 16 claimants. Dealing with the demands was deemed too complex.

The court also upheld van Anraat's acquittal on genocide charges.

Radio Netherlands / Expatica