Saddam Hussein Should Not Receive The Death Sentence

[Jcrowley]

Appeals Chamber Should Review Flawed Verdict

(New York, December 26, 2006) – The Iraqi government should not implement the death sentence against Saddam Hussein, which was imposed after a deeply flawed trial for crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today. The Appeals Chamber of the Iraqi High Tribunal, which was first reported by Iraq’s national security adviser to have upheld the sentence, should have conducted a thorough legal review of the verdict and then announced its findings, Human Rights Watch said.
“Imposing the death penalty, indefensible in any case, is especially wrong after such unfair proceedings,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. “That a judicial decision was first announced by Iraq’s national security advisor underlines the political interference that marred Saddam Hussein’s trial.”

The law establishing the Iraqi High Tribunal requires that the death penalty be carried out within 30 days of the appeal chamber ruling. Former President Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death in November for the execution of more than 100 men and boys from the town of Dujail in 1985. He and others are currently on trial for genocide over the 1988 Anfal campaign, when his government sought to exterminate Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq and used poison gas against them. If the Dujail death sentence is carried out, Saddam could be put to death before the Anfal trial is completed.

In September 2006, the procedures for implementing the death penalty were changed by executive order. The change designated the Higher Judicial Council as being the entity to ratify a capital sentence. It is unclear whether the Higher Judicial Council is fulfilling this function.

A report issued in November 2006 by Human Rights Watch, which has demanded the prosecution of Saddam Hussein and his lieutenants for more than a decade, identified numerous serious flaws in the trial of Hussein for the Dujail executions. The 97-page report, “Judging Dujail: The First Trial Before the Iraqi High Tribunal,” was based on 10 months of observation and dozens of interviews with judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers.

<snip>

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/12/26/iraq14937_txt.htm

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. And guess who sold him the poison gas he used on the Kurds?

And lots of other weapons. We did. The USA. Donny Rumsfeld in the 1980s.

[michreject]

10. We sold him a lot of weapons

but I don't recall chemical weapons, especially ones as old as the 1st world war. Where did you read this? Link?

[Trajan]

14. There is no evidence of direct, US sales of chemical weapons to Iraq ...

NOT as 'chemical weapons' ... But there is documented evidence of US complicity by knowingly allowing some in the international community, primarily Germany, to supply both facilities and raw materials to Iraq for chemical weapons production, as well as nuclear technology capable of use for nuclear weapons development and production.

The US did approve the sale of 'dual use' technology, and looked askance at reports of both chemical and nuclear weapons development within Iraq. There is evidence that the US State Department DID at times intervene to stop the delivery of chemical weapons precursors to Iraq, but they also covertly provided Iraq with targeting information which was used to attacks Iran with CW's ...

Sources:

This is a GREAT source ....

Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein:


This is from Wikipedia, but is credible and provides extensive references

Iraq and weapons of mass destruction

We shouldnt have to provide store receipts with which to condemn the previous GOP administrations of complicity with Saddam Hussein in his use of CW .... There is enough credible circumstantial evidence that supports that conclusion ...

[michreject]

20. Nice read.

But it didn't address this posters statement. In fact, it refutes it.

1. And guess who sold him the poison gas he used on the Kurds?

And lots of other weapons. We did. The USA.

[Trajan]

23. Its a mixed bag ...

Yeah .. we didn't sell them 'Chemical Weapons', but we sold them damn near everything else, INCLUDING the targeting information needed to deliver it 'effectively' ...

That, in my book, constitutes 'Accessory BEFORE the fact', and possible conspiracy ....

We DID send them various germs and toxins that we had NO BUSINESS sending to ANYONE .... Dual use ? weapons grade Anthrax ? ... and the trade in Nuclear technology is no fucking joke ... that stuff was the real deal, and could have lead to disastrous consequences ... The mere fact that they sided with this Stalinist madman is enough to give us pause ....

Your refutation of the OP is a pyrrhic victory ... It solves one issue, only to open 8 more ...

[michreject]

24. I'm not disputing you

What i'm disputing is the posting above that we sold Iraq the chemical weapons used on the Kurds. We had a bunch of fuck-ups, but that one wasn't one of them. In the narrow scope of that contex, the poster is wrong.

[barb162]

33. Hussein did plenty of murdering all by his lonesome

Why drag the US into it. When his troops were shooting at Kurds from helicopters, did we supply him with the fuel for the helicopters? The helicopters? The bullets? The soldiers to do it? Let's say we did all that, which we didn't . Does that mean he had to go out and give the order to kill the Kurds? It's not the USA's fault he went after the Kurds.

[ClassWarrior]

2. Nobody should receive the death sentence.

I refuse to turn into Saddam Hussein in my zeal for justice.

NGU.

[SidDithers]

19. Egg-zactly...nt

Sid

[Chulanowa]

28. Agree totally

Not just because I'm solidly against the death penalty... but because it's just unsound tactics to kill this man.

When you kill him, he will garner sympathy. Just like today, we are remembering all the shiny goodness of Gerald Ford and none of the crap he pulled over our eyes, Iraqis will remember that Saddam at least provided an ordered, prosperous, and for the most part safe society to live in, one without theocratic militias, overzealous foreign troops, and aggrandized "sectarian" rivalries. For a while they will gorget his brutality against them, and in that time, the threat to our troops will grow much greater.

Better to let Saddam sit in the Hague prison for his many crimes - illegal invasion of two countries and attacks against two others, attempted Genocide, group reprisals, use of banned weaponry, etc. Let him sit and rot, his crimes remembered in front of his name, rather than him becoming a kangaroo-courted victim of American revenge.

[EFerrari]

3. kick

[madokie]

4. not by this crew of crooks anyway

[90-percent]

5. this..

This is middle ages barbarism.

That the civilized world allows such heinous selective enforcement is appalling. The same measure used to prosecute Saddam should be used to prosecute our Presidential War Criminals.

Doesn't the world frown on aggressive wars of choice?

-85% jimmy

[madokie]

7. a rule of laws not a rule by man, the founders were smart in that

or something like that

[SeattleVet]

6. And once again the US sets the example for the rest of the world to follow.

We're going to kill someone to reinforce the idea that killing people is wrong.

[sweetheart]

8. saddam is the US's only hope

Saddam, given a 'la femme nikita moment' - aisle 9 plot 37..

could be the most powerful and useful ally to establish a lasting
peace in iraq. Otherwise, options are thin indeed, but he
may be more useful to all of us as a living man than a dead one.

More than useful, an instrument of empire in re-establishing the west-controlled
oil empirate of the gulf tigris. otherwise, they are taken betweeen the twin
horns of iran's shiaa and the syrian objection, the prickly bush of turkish
genocidaires, and saudi chickenshits.

Bush, you fool, your enemy is more valuable than you.

[az chela]

9. Saddam is not as bad as bush and what he did in his country

was not for us to judge or get involved in!!!!!
We supported him for many years and now bush wants him dead just like he had so many people executed in Texas and laughed about it.
The ass hole cares nothing about the iraqi's or our soldiers

[partylessinOhio]

11. Will the world remain silent and let * kill Saddam as revenge?

Bush has killed more than Saddam so will * be hanged too?

This insanity need to end already. Free Saddam.

[Kurovski]

12. Actually, BushCo should re-install him as Iraq's strongman.

It would eventually reduce the death and torture by around 80%, and the destruction by 99%.

It's a dark era, ain't it y'all?

[corkhead]

30. Nouri al-Maliki should pardon Hussein to "heal the nation" eom

[Kurovski]

32. Yes. it worked so well when Ford pardoned Nixon.

Good point.;-)

[Beelzebud]

13. No one should in the modern age.

[Disturbed]

15. Saddam and his Co-horts will be hanged.

There is nothing that anyone on this planet can do to stop this hanging. I feel that the trial was a farce but Iraq is a sovereign nation that can impose their own brand of justice upon those that they feel violated their people.

[Jcrowley]

21. Iraq

is a sovereign nation? Not hardly. Take a look at the history region since about Lord Curzon and at least look at the PSA's readily available on the web. A puppet government at a time of full-fledged imperial occupation and "Iraq is a sovereign nation?"

That's over the top.

[roamer65]

16. Sunni insurgents will go bat s@#t crazy after his hanging.

Mark my words.

[Herman74]

17. I believe that sparing Saddam would reinforce the concept...

...that human life is precious everywhere.

[Imagevision]

18. Bush has asked for a video copy of Saddam's execution

something to impress at the next "Skull & Bones" event..

[snappyturtle]

25. Are you kidding? Really? n/t

[Cleita]

22. Saddam should have been taken to the Hague for trial.

I don't see how that kangaroo court can be considered legitimate in any way.

[goclark]

26. I agreee and he should be tried with GW and Co

[Cleita]

29. That would be a dream come true.

Unfortunately, unless some other country petitions the Hague to try GWB and they kidnap him to get him there, it won't happen.

[Joanne98]

27. GOP is making a joke out of war crimes, just like they did impeachment

Saddam needs to go to the Hague where he should have gone a long time ago.

[Patchuli]

31. I agree!

1. It will do more harm than good to turn him into a martyr; 2. He could be very useful in fixing *'s mess in Iraq; 3. It will be more torture to him to sit in a jail cell the rest of his life after the palace living he was used to.

All in all, it's a stupid idea. Show the world a better way and spare his life.

[eridani]

34. How convenient

Now he can't spill the beans on his US support during the worst of his crimes.