Tareq Aziz sentened to 10 years in prison

An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced former deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz to 10 years in prison for the killing of minority Faili Kurds during the rule of Saddam Hussein.

Tarek Aziz, Iraq's former deputy prime minister Getty images/Salah Malkawi

Aziz, the long-time international face of Saddam's regime, has already been sentenced to death for the suppression of Shia-Muslims in the 1980s, although there have been international calls for him to be spared.

In poor health and among Saddam's few surviving top cohorts, 74-year-old Aziz has been in prison since surrendering in April 2003, shortly after the capture of Baghdad in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Aziz, who was born to a Christian family, was foreign minister and deputy prime minister under Saddam, who was hanged in December 2006.

The death sentence, which was handed down on 26 October, provoked a wave of appeals for clemency from around the world and President Jalal Talibani has said he will refuse to sign the order.

In 2009, he was jailed for 15 years for the 1992 execution of 42 Baghdad wholesalers and given a seven-year term for his role in expelling Kurds from Iraq's north.

He has also been sentenced to 15 years in prison for torture and 10 years for participating in torture and Iraqi courts have ordered that all of his known assets be confiscated.