Earlier, the court said that although they felt it was proven that former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein committed genocide against Kurds in the 1980s, Van Anraat was acquitted of genocide charges because he did not know the Iraqi regime's genocidal intentions.

The move marks the first time a court has ruled that the Iraqi dictator committed genocide in Iraq with the 1988 massacre of Kurds in the town of Halabja.

The attack, which killed more than 5,000 people in a single day, also features among the preliminary charges against the former Iraqi ruler who is currently on trial in Baghdad.