Saddam Hussein Hanged

[Desmond Hawkins]

then why do you mention them?

Also, because he said 'Long live Fidel Castro' he must be a terrorist, anti-American and should be hanged ASAP without a trial, right?

Well it is ironic who would have made an excellent henchman to a dictatorship if they had been born in a different place.

 

[TheBladeRoden]

I have the perfect punishment that's somewhere between life in prison and execution: persistant vegetative state. Too alive to become a martyr, and too dead to denounce the west or to try to come back to power.

 

[Norlamand]

He should have stood the rest of his trials. Now officials in his administration who were guilty of as much evil will probably go free for lack of evidence.

Further trials would be redundant given his conviction on a capital offense. Think of all the time and money the Iraqi government saved. If only our justice system was so efficient. His participation in any further trials of Baath party members would be unlikely to be helpful anyway. I doubt that he would offer any testimony against them in support of the governments case.

 

[Norlamand]

But no, the US Army would keep him in check. Remember, you can invade the country whenever that suits you.

Or we could let the French do it.........but then the purpose was to get the Iraqi's to hold up the white flags..........

 

[RedWolf]

Amazing... there are a lot of Saddam supporters in this board.

This is somewhat of an absurd statement isn't it?

I think most of the posters you're talking about actually feel more like I do:

(Either one or a combination of the below)

1) Disagree with the death penalty on principle and thus extend this belief even to Saddam

2) Feel the trial was a show-trial mockery of justice perpetrated by US led puppets

3) Suspect that his execution was somewhat poorly thought out since he'll now be a martyr.

All of those points being said though - I'm not personally losing a lot of sleep over his death.. If anybody "deserved it", I'd say its him.

 

[deanjack]

Originally Posted by Stylesjl
I missed the execution? Why no warning? What were his last words? I mean come on, what a lousy execution!

There was warning here in Britain. the Scottish paper "The daily record" had a top lawyer saying that it would be today. Also i take the same view as our government being against the death penalty.

 

[kryszcztov]

Or we could let the French do it.........but then the purpose was to get the Iraqi's to hold up the white flags..........

After all, it's French commando men who got bin Laden in sight twice. Yeah, the French could definitely do some operation. Too bad we have a brain.

 

[Swiss_Mercenari]

Saddam was a cruel, rapacious, tyrannical, despotic and totalitarian dictator, and I despise him, though execution by hanging is barbaric and outdated. He should have been imprisoned for life in a high-security prison, for now his clan (the Tikrit Sunnis) will establish a clan worshipping him and retaliate, observing him as a martyr.

 

[amadeus]

After all, it's French commando men who got bin Laden in sight twice. Yeah, the French could definitely do some operation. Too bad we have a brain.

Unsubstantiated claim.

 

[Trajan12]

Finally, they took way too long.

 

[Kyriakos]

I wonder if there will be another rehearsed "celebration" like the farce with the few tens of iraquis that pulled down Saddam's statue when Bagdad was taken.

 

[Trajan12]

I want to know exactly what was so 'undemocratic' about his trial. If anyone actually knows instead of just digging up more excuses to be against what America does.

 

[Gelion]

I want to know exactly what was so 'undemocratic' about his trial. If anyone actually knows instead of just digging up more excuses to be against what America does.

Democracy and respect for human rights are two different concepts. When you understand that you will understand why a trial cannot be "democratic" or "undemocratic". A trial can be just or unjust. This one was unjust, a show trial if you will.

 

[kryszcztov]

Unsubstantiated claim.

Relax dude, I was joking around. Note the humour in the post I quoted.

 

[Trajan12]

Democracy and respect for human rights are two different concepts. When you understand that you will understand why a trial cannot be "democratic" or "undemocratic". A trial can be just or unjust. This one was unjust, a show trial if you will.

That's what I heard most of the anti execution people say. So then, what was so unjust about it?

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

After all, it's French commando men who got bin Laden in sight twice. Yeah, the French could definitely do some operation. Too bad we have a brain.

Unsubstantiated claim.

The part about the commandos, or the brain?

 

[Gelion]

That's what I heard most of the anti execution people say. So then, what was so unjust about it?

So you got the democratic argument? Good

The unjust part is that if the aim of the court is to establish justice then a court would finish proceedings on all charges against the accuse. If an accused is executed on only one charged against him, while others are left hanging, then it becomes clear that revenge/murder/show case is the goal of such court NOT justice.

 

[ParkCungHee]

That's what I heard most of the anti execution people say. So then, what was so unjust about it?

The fact that evidence was hidden from the witness until the very day it was submitted into court, the fact that if any of the Judges were to favor Saddamn in any way they would have risked being penalized and loosing their liscence under the de-bathification laws, the fact that the prosecution never explained where or when some of the evidence is from, the fact that one of the judges resigned due to "government interference", that the Defence's Attorney was killed on three seperate occassions, etc. etc.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

The unjust part is that if the aim of the court is to establish justice then a court would finish proceedings on all charges against the accuse. If an accused is executed on only one charged against him, while others are left hanging, then it becomes clear that revenge/murder/show case is the goal of such court NOT justice.

Well, I think capital punishment is wrong in any case, but disagree with the above argument.

If one believes the death penalty is justice, or as I've seen described the ultimate justice, then why would someone who commits multiple murders get to live longer than someone who commits one. That would be a greater injustice by this thinking. After found guilty of one, then the execution should be carried out for the quickest justice. Saddam could be tried longer than a dozen normal lifetimes on all the charges, so for those who believe in this punishment, it was certainly 'just' to carry it out immedately after one charge had been seen through to its finality.

I think it was unjust for a different reason, and that is that capital punishment is wrong in ALL cases.

 

[Gelion]

I'm not supporting the death penalty in this case, my focus is on something else.

The important thing is not the punishment but a trial that has been finished and finished properly. We may argue about the death sentance or we may not, but the fact that this is an unfinished trial remains.