Saddam sentenced to death by hanging - Wrestling Forums : WWE, TNA, ECW, E-Fed, Wrestlemania, Live Wrestling Streams

JP · 12-30-2006, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been convicted of crimes against humanity by a Baghdad court and sentenced to death by hanging.
He was found guilty over his role in the killing of 148 people in the mainly Shia town of Dujail in 1982.

His half brother Barzan al-Tikriti was also sentenced to death, as was Iraq's former chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bander

Former vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan got life in jail and three others received 15 year prison terms.

Another co-defendant, Baath party official Mohammed Azawi Ali, was acquitted.

When called to court, Saddam Hussein, dressed in his usual dark suit and white shirt and carrying a Koran, walked to his customary seat and sat down.

Judge Rauf Abdel Rahman ordered Saddam Hussein to stand while he read out the verdict, but the former president defiantly refused to do so and had to be moved from his seat by court attendants.

As the judge began reading the death sentence Saddam Hussein shouted out "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest) and "Long live Iraq! Long live the Iraqi people! Down with the traitors!"

The former leader looked shocked and furious as the sentence was passed, and continued to shout, denouncing the court, the judge and the US-led occupation force in Iraq.

But the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson said that after his tirade, as he was led away from the courtroom, Saddam Hussein seemed to have a small smile on his face.

"It was as if he was thinking 'I've come here and done what I intended to do'," our correspondent said.

Celebratory gunfire

Shortly after the verdict was announced celebratory gunfire could be heard across Baghdad.

The whole city of six million people has been placed under a 12-hour daytime curfew that bans all vehicle and pedestrian traffic amid fears of violence from Saddam Hussein's Sunni Arab supporters.

THE SENTENCES
Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi president: death by hanging
Awad Hamed al-Bander, Chief Judge of Revolutionary Court: death by hanging
Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half-brother: death by hanging
Taha Yasin Ramadan, Iraqi vice-president: life sentence
Abdullah Kadhem Ruaid Senior Baath official: 15 years
Abdullah Rawed Mizher, Senior Baath official: 15 years
Ali Daeem Ali, Senior Baath official: 15 years

The government cancelled all army leave and the city's civilian airport has been closed.

Three nearby provinces, including Salahuddin, which contains Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, are also under curfew.

Almost three years since Saddam Hussein was captured, soaring sectarian violence has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war.

Few Iraqis think the trial verdict will ease conflict, the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says.

Even those Iraqis who want to see their former leader dead do not believe his execution would make things any better, our correspondent says.

'Victors' justice'

Many critics have dismissed the trial as a form of victors' justice, given the close attention the US has paid to it.

Lawyers for Saddam Hussein have also accused the government of interfering in the proceedings - a complaint backed by US group Human Rights Watch.

And the former leader's lawyers have attacked the timing of the planned verdict, which comes days before the US votes in mid-term elections.

US President George W Bush's Republican Party is at risk of losing control of Congress in part because of voter dissatisfaction over its handling of the Iraq conflict. In a televised speech on Saturday, Nouri Maliki, Iraq's Shia Arab prime minister, said he hoped Saddam Hussein would get "what he deserves" for "crimes against the Iraqi people".

Ahead of the verdict Mr Maliki called for calm, saying that Iraqis should mark it in a way that "does not risk their lives".

Yeah, I heard about that earlier. I honestly think that's what he deserves. I'd like to ask the people in the mass graves what their opinion is, but the obvious is to be said about that.

I'm just glad to see that the Iraqis got to try this guy for what he's done. Perhaps a certain other leader will face trial for what he's done.

And as a side note, it's good to see you linking to both the hard left news site of CNN and the hard right news site of FOX. Depending on where I post I'll do the same thing. Neither one has any ounce of credibility on their own.

Thoughts?

Dykstra · 12-30-2006, 05:55 PM

I don't think they should have hung him...they should have let all of the people he killed's families walk by with knives and scissors and cut off any body part they want. It would be sick, but it would serve him right and he could suffer.

$pawn · 12-30-2006, 06:05 PM

....I liked Styles Idea, He said taje him in space and see if humans can survive on Mars.

ZzyZx · 01-01-2007, 02:47 PM

Thjeys hould of killed him yet. They should have let him get married. Let him have kids. Let the kids grow to about 4-5 then come inot his house and slaughter him there. Why? Becuase that's about the pain he put our families through. I know that means we are stopping as low as him, but you get what you put in and people get what they deserve.

Confirm Pentecost · 01-03-2007, 04:52 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast...ddam/index.html

Interesting, a hanging. Before the day breaks and people turn this into yet another "should we have gone to war or not" debate, in my opinion the world is better off without him, I wish we could have made this easier on ourselves and taken care of him in the gulf war, but he is getting whats been coming to him for a long time...well...will be getting. Once they get through all the appeals and stuff. Maybe someone will televise it...? I wouldnt put it past cable news to run loops of a guy hanging over and over.

StylesÃ‚â„¢ · 01-03-2007, 05:10 PM

He deserves it no doubt, but we didn't need to stay in Iraq that long and let over 3,000 people die because of him...It wasn't needed, I'm glad he's dead I truly am, but when 3,000 people die looking for him and trying to kill him it's a bit over the top in my minds....We caught him, We gave them a true government, we handed him over, we needed to withdraw...

xWaynex · 01-04-2007, 08:26 PM

There was video footage. it was interesting to watch... I cant believe the Saddam extremest came in there opining fire to help him. It was said to be gory.