The Iraqi government has said it might release former Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz on compassionate grounds due to his ailing health.

According to authorities in Iraq, his deteriorating health condition has come about through diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure.

Aziz, a Christian, and Iraq’s former deputy prime minister under Saddam Hussein, turned himself in to U.S. forces in April 2003, days the fall of Baghdad.

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

He pleaded not guilty on all counts.

During the Saddam years, Aziz wielded little real power of decision-making but became one of the regime’s best-known figures as he spoke English and gave frequent press conferences on behalf of Saddam.

Aziz, born to a Catholic family, was given the name at birth of Michael Yuhanna, but changed it to soften any Arab hostility to his Christian background.

His lawyer has sent requests to the government for his release, saying Aziz realizes he has become too old to be involved in politics, and does not want to die in prison.