Ali al-Shemari

Who is Ali al-Shemari?

Ali al-Shemari is an Iraqi politician from the Sadrist Movement who was the Health Minister of Iraq from May 20, 2006 until April 16, 2007.

Al-Shemari's deputy, Hakim al-Zamili, and his security chief, Hamid al-Shammari, were arrested and tried in 2007 on claims they ran a death squad that attacked Sunni Arabs patients and visitors in Health Ministry hospitals. Among their supposed victims was Ammar al-Saffar, another deputy heath minister who was preparing to expose corruption in the ministry, kidnapped in November 2006. Both men were cleared of all charges when key witnesses failed to show up after facing alleged intimidation.

Following the arrest of his deputies, Shemari fled Iraq.