BAGHDAD
Tariq Aziz, the Saddam Hussein regime's top diplomat, has died of a heart attack Friday, an Iraqi official said.
"Aziz was taken to al-Hussein Hospital today after suffering a heart attack in Nasiriyah prison, and he died there," first deputy of Nasiriyah governor, Adil Dahil said.
Aziz, 79, served as deputy prime minister and foreign minister during Saddam Hussein's reign. A close adviser of the former leader, Aziz was the face of the regime to the world.
Aziz was sentenced to death by the Iraq's Supreme Criminal Court in 2010 for the persecution of religious parties during Hussein's reign, but was not executed.
Previously, in 2009, Aziz was sentenced by the same court to seven years in jail in for his role in the forced displacement of Kurds from northeastern Iraq, and to 15 years for the execution of 42 merchants charged with manipulating food prices when Iraq was subject to international sanctions.
Aziz, who was the sole Christian officer at a senior post in the mainly Sunni Muslim Iraqi government, had long suffered from health problems including diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems, and high blood pressure.
