Saddam Hussein's foreign minister Tariq Aziz was sentenced to death by hanging on Tuesday for persecuting members of Shiite religious parties under the former regime.

Iraq's high criminal court spokesman Mohammed Abdul Sahib did not say when Aziz, 74, would be put to death.

The death sentence was for a conviction on charges of taking part in a Saddam-led campaign that hunted and executed members of the Shiite Dawa Party, of which current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a member.

Aziz, a Christian who became known as the international face of Saddam's regime, has already been convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the 1992 execution of 42 merchants found guilty of profiteering.

He also received a seven-year prison sentence for a case involving the forced displacement of Kurds in northern Iraq.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Aziz predicted he will die in prison, citing his old age and lengthy prison sentences.