Tariq Aziz

• deputy prime minister
• Surrendered 24 April 2003 and sentenced to death
• Died in June 2015

Tariq Aziz was an Iraqi politician and a close associate of Saddam Hussein. He served as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, and he was one of the most recognizable figures of the Saddam Hussein regime due to his frequent appearances in the international media.

Born Mikhail Yuhanna in 1936, Aziz was a Chaldean Catholic from northern Iraq. He changed his name to Tariq Aziz, which means “glorious past” in Arabic, to appeal to the Arab nationalist ideology promoted by the Ba’ath Party. He joined the Ba’ath Party in the 1950s and steadily rose through the ranks.

As Foreign Minister, Aziz was often the public face of Iraq in negotiations with countries and during crises. He was known for his staunch defense of Iraq’s actions, particularly during the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and in the lead up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Following the 2003 invasion, Aziz surrendered to U.S. forces. He was later tried by the Iraqi government for crimes committed under Saddam Hussein’s regime, including the murder of dozens of merchants accused of price-gouging during the UN-imposed sanctions. In 2010, he was sentenced to death, but the sentence was never carried out. Aziz died in prison in 2015.