Saddam Hussein - sentenced to death by hanging

[ALoudFireworkScaredMyBadMouse]

Sunnis in Tikrit marched through the city, chanting "We will avenge you Saddam."

He is going to get a more humane death than those he murdered. While I agree its probably not as humane as injection. I don't feel the least bit sorry for him.

Also,I don't think that means I have stooped to his level. They are not killing an innocent person here. The people he killed were. There is a difference.

The Star (accrording to the TV, can I add I don not read it!!!) has called for the execution to be televised live.

Whilst I can understand the value of certain evidene of the death being available for proof, the idea of a televised death makes me sick to my bones and absolutely horrified. I wuld not want to meet anyone who could watch that, ever, unless they ahd been directly affected by Saddam's crimes.

I am glad he is to be hung. I can't think of any living person more deserving. But, I can't say I'd like to watch it. Yuck!

but if he were locked up for the rest of his life, wouldn't that mean more chance of him killing himself. I think the death penalty is favourable to suecide, as if he commits suecide he will have decided his own fate.

That would depend on whether he were given the opportunity and the standard of suicide watch, surely? I am assuming he wuld be V high security, constantly monitored by CCTV and not given the chance at all.

death penalty a quick cop out, imo. He DESERVES years of solitude and uncomfortable conditions

guess that depends on your belief though? Those who believe in heaven/hell/paradice/pergatory - the good place and the bad place if you will, surely believe that he will be sent to hell for his crimes anyway, so while on earth he will have got a quick way out, if there is something after, he'll still be paying.

Not sure about my belief on that though.

That's true, of course. I believe in Karma but unsure whether it goes into another life or just this

I think you are all missing the point here, he has been sentanced to death by an Iraqi court,in Iraq they sentence people to death every single day. This is their way of life, most of us may not agree with it but such is life I'm afraid. Also the fact that an Iraqi court has been able to conduct this trial is someting to be celebrated, surely?

I think that it was always going to be a no win situation, I hope some form of peace will come to Iraq sooner than later.

That's right nothingbutattitude.
It annoys me that so many people in the 'west' judge others by their own standards as if their own standards are the only correct way of behaving. He's lucky he got a 'trial' at all.

I take your point NothingbutAttitude but I don't think that we should be celebrating. Sure they conducted the trial but how fair was it? THis is quote from Malcom Smart, Amnesty International's middle east and north africa director

"Throughout Saddam's rule, we reported on massive abuses in his country. We felt it was important that he and others be held accountable.

"But even he deserves a fair trial, and the proceeding in Baghdad failed to meet the necessary fail trial standards."

George Bush and Tony Blair won't be put on trial for their atrocities in all of this! How f**king fair is that????

I have no problem with him being sentenced to death - he did the same to countless others, but I do wish the trial had done more to expose the US' complicity in bringing him to power and supporting his regime.

Absolutely agree Saadia.

glad I'm not the only person to feel physically sick when I heard-
Why did we support his extredition? I thought we were against it if it meant the death penalty? I'm not too hot on the subject I must admit but from what I see of it, it was an unfair trial, what with murders of lawyers and changes of judges etc

The whole thing makes me think of bullies in the playground on the most extreme scale.

unfortunatly the bullies on the other side while take the most hiddeous revenge and more innocent lives will be lost.

(he is evil and should rot in jail, but this? makes me wanna puke.)

kittywits - I agree that people in the 'west' judge others by their own standards as if their own standards are the only correct way of behaving and that he's lucky he got a 'trial' at all, but from my point of view I can only see that hanging him will cause more problems in the region than it will solve them. Retribution is only natural for a man who is evil personified, but when half the country is pro Saddam and the other half is anti Saddam, to hang him will only cause a shift of retribution from the anti to the pro side and their kind of retribution generally happens without due legal process.

I understand that if he is incarcerated there will always be the risk of high profile hostage taking (in the form of release Saddam or else we will kill Tony Blair's children kind of thing) but when he's dead they won't just be taking people hostage, there will be outright carnage.

thankyoupoppet, as Saddam Hussein was found in Iraq the question of extradition did not arise. I agree with you over the double standards though - if we don't allow extradition of those accused of terrorism who might face the death penalty, what are we doing allowing the death penalty to be imposed in a place where we're propping up the government and justice system?

At least the EC has had the decency to express disapproval at the death sentence.

On the unfair trial point, I was shocked by an American spokesman on the radio who said that it was a fair trial as "we trained the judges". That's hardly going to impress those who want the Americans out of Iraq, is it?

I think tbh that the west has got a nerve calling for him to be spared. We went in there, we brought him down, and then we gave him back to his people to put him on trial. So they did, and they gave him the punishment befitting his crimes - death. And now we're telling the iraqis that they should listen to us yet again and should not put him to death? I think it's time we stayed out of it. I think that the west is too arogant in believing that everyone else should conform to our way or living.

As for whether he had a fair trial, what exactly constitutes a fair trial? I mean it's not exactly about innocent until proven guilty is it? There was never any doubt that he was guilty, the only question was what punishment he should be given for the crimes he had committed.

wannabe - I think even the punishment was expected. I mean, were you surprised? Was anybody?

yep hanging is too good he needs to feel the pain first let israel have him first
or kuwait

I think we should bring back the rack and the Iron Maiden. And thumbscrews. And iron boots.

of course it was expected. That's how murderers are punished in iraq, and in many other parts of the middle east. But really, considering we went in and brought him down to "liberate" the iraqi people, who the hell are we to start telling the "liberated" iraqi people how they should deal with him?

Point taken. Except they're not liberated in the true sense. Iraq is still a country under occupation and American rule and therefore it will do whatever Uncle Sam says.

Without knowing too much of the ins and outs, my feeling is that there wouldn't really be any point of having a trial at all unless you were even seen to be doing it fairly.
The whole shambles is just another reason for the likes of me to feel peed off with our powers-that-be and for the anti-west lot to want to cause a load more carnage.

I'm all up for him to be tried and to receive his punnishment for which he undoubtably deserves. I just shudder at the thought of what is to come next.

With people who are pathologically insane, like Ian Brady and Saddam Hussein, it's the element of control that's their reason for doing whatever they're doing. When Brady went on a hunger strike it was because he believed the doctors couldn't force feed him as it was against his human rights, nothing to do with wanting to die. If his desire to kill himself was that strong he would have swallowed his tongue. It's the same with Saddam. He wants to die. He wanted the firing squad (probably because he thought it was a fitting death for a military man). To me, eternal incarceration in a fetid underground prison cell being guarded by women guards is a more fitting punishment for him.