BAGHDAD, December
27, -- Iraq was preparing for the rapid execution of
former dictator Saddam Hussein, with the US-backed
government eager to bring his chapter in the
country's bloody history to an end.
Justice Minister Hashem al-Shibli said Wednesday the
sentence for crimes against humanity -- upheld by am
Iraqi appeal court on Tuesday -- would be sent to
the presidency for approval while the prison service
prepares to hang him.
The process will get underway rapidly, he said, but
the formality of executing the ousted dictator could
be delayed by the onset of the four-day Eid al-Adha
holiday, which is due to start at the end of the
week.
"There will be no amnesty in this case. Once we get
the decree, we shall prepare to take action," Shibli
told AFP, adding however: "You know there'll be the
Eid. It could take some time because of the holiday.
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Former dictator Saddam Hussein (L) Saddam's half
brother and intelligence chief (R)
Photo : eKurd.net |
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"The decree passed by the court of appeal shall be
passed to the presidency and a presidential decree
shall be sent to the General Prisons Directorate for
the purpose of implementing the death sentence," he
said.
Saddam and two officials of his regime were
convicted of crimes against humanity on November 5,
after a court heard they ordered the deaths of 148
Shiite men from the village of Dujail in an act of
collective punishment.
On Tuesday, a panel of appeal court judges
confirmed the sentences,
in what was a binding and final judgement.
Authorities now have 30 days within which to carry
out the execution orders.
The Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, follows the
annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The precise dates
of the holiday can vary in different regions, but
this year it is expected to begin on or around
December 30.
Announcing the verdict Tuesday, appeal court judge
Arif Shaheen said: "As from tomorrow the sentence
could be carried out at any time."
Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has a personal moral
objection to the use of the death penalty, but has
in the past signalled that he will step aside and
allow his vice presidents to rubber stamp the
verdict.
In the past, officials from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's
government have said they will not hesitate to carry
out the sentence, and that he and his fellow
convicts will be hanged within days or weeks of the
decision.
The White House said the verdict marked "a milestone
for Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a
tyrant with the rule of law."
Key US ally Britain opposes capital punishment on
principle, but said the decision on Saddam's
execution "is one for the Iraqi authorities".
Saddam's original conviction on November 5 inspired
conflicting emotions in Iraq, a country shattered by
violence between warring political and religious
factions since his fall from power.
In November, the Shiite majority celebrated and the
Sunni minority protested the verdict, but there was
little sign of public reaction to Wednesday's
confirmation of the execution order, which was
widely expected.
Saddam ruled Iraq with an iron first between 1979
and March 2003, when he was overthrown by a US-led
liberation force. After his capture nine months
later he was brought before the Iraqi High Tribunal
in Baghdad to face trial.
Nevertheless Human Rights Watch urged the Iraqi
government not to execute Saddam, like other
international rights groups describing the trial
convicting him of crimes against humanity as "deeply
flawed".
"Imposing the death penalty, indefensible in any
case, is especially wrong after such unfair
proceedings," said Richard Dicker, director of Human
Rights Watch's international justice programme.
AFP
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