Saadam: The death of a tyrant

Sadaam's brutality extended past the killing of Shi`ahs and Kurds (who are also Sunni); Arab Sunnis, who were not from his tribe as well as Iraqi Christians were killed. Likewise, Sadaam's Ba'athist regime included Shi`ahs and Christians; his right hand man, Tariq Aziz, was a Christian. The Ba'ath party in Iraq was started by an Iraqi Christian by the way.

Without discussing, who sufferred more under his government and the thousands of Iranians that died from poisonous gas given to him by our (Unites States) government, tyrants such as Sadaam deserve a fair trial as well.

Sadaam's execution at the hands of a "kangaroo court" is simply another chapter of the international norms of law & order that have been ignored since the 1st day of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Moreover, the Iraqi government in its quest to consider its own "national interests" did not even respect its own current laws when it executed Sadaam on the most important religious holiday to Muslims, the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, which is the first day of `Eidul Adha. Prophet Muhammad referred to this day as Al-Yawmul Akbar, the greatest day. Is it any wonder why Iraq is in a current state of lawlessness?

The following is an excerpt from an article featured on www.salon.com by Prof. Juan Cole from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor entitled "Saddam: The death of a dictator."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/30/saddam/

Dec. 30, 2006 The body of Saddam, as it swung from the gallows at 6 a.m. Saturday Baghdad time, cast an ominous shadow over Iraq. The execution provoked intense questions about whether his trial was fair and about what the fallout will be. One thing is certain: The trial and execution of Saddam were about revenge, not justice. Instead of promoting national reconciliation, this act of revenge helped Saddam portray himself one last time as a symbol of Sunni Arab resistance, and became one more incitement to sectarian warfare.

Saddam Hussein was tried under the shadow of a foreign military occupation, by a government full of his personal enemies. The first judge, an ethnic Kurd, resigned because of government interference in the trial; the judge who took his place was also Kurdish and had grievances against the accused. Three of Saddam's defense lawyers were shot down in cold blood. The surviving members of his defense team went on strike to protest the lack of protection afforded them. The court then appointed new lawyers who had no expertise in international law. Most of the witnesses against Saddam gave hearsay evidence. The trial ground slowly but certainly toward the inevitable death verdict.(MORE)