Death sentence for Saddam upheld

Saddam Hussein Forum

An Iraqi appeals court has upheld the death sentence against ousted President Saddam Hussein, Iraq's national security adviser has said.

"The appeals court approved the verdict to hang Saddam Hussein," Mouwafak al-Ruabaie said.

Lawyers launched an appeal after a court sentenced Saddam Hussein to death on 5 November for the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in the town Dujail.

Under Iraqi law, Saddam Hussein must be executed within 30 days.

The BBC's Peter Greste in Baghdad says the execution is likely to provoke an angry response from Saddam Hussein's supporters, so it is understood that it will be carried out at a private time and in a private place.

The former president is currently facing a separate trial in connection with a military campaign against Kurdish communities.

But Iraqi authorities have always said that they will carry out the sentence even if court proceedings are still under way, our correspondent says.

Sounds like crunch time. I wonder if they will do it.

30 days. So long, Saddam.

-HECK!

I won't believe it until his neck snaps, because the rope could be around his neck, and he could still stall this whole thing.

Well he will die but there is a problem and that is of course the reaction because the Iraqi government have just made a new martyr for all the Islamic terrorists in Iraq and possibly the world ( and this guy cared sweet FA for Muslims or for thier faith if we are being honest) but carrying out the execution in a private time and private will not stop more blood being spilt, they could execute him tomorrow and let us know about in July and all hell will still possibly break loose.

Can't wait, it will be a happy day when he goes a swingin.

Lets remember that both he and Hitler came out of a democracy. The people choose him. After Saddam is dead the same stupid people who elected him will still be in charge of who will become the next leader.

This growing fear that people are going to be angered by the execution of Saddam, I think, is a perfect demonstration of the attitude that will defeat the U.S. Iraq effort.

If you are in a war where your very survival is truly at stake, you won't be burdened about the fear of offending the enemy.

This is not such a war, however.

Earlier, the new goverment of Iraq issued an arrest warrant for Sader, but the U.S. refused to execute it because Bush was worried about offending Sader's followers. Bush worried that they might become violent.

Now, with the worry about the reaction of Saddam's execution, the decision to carry it out rests with the new government of Iraq. It will be interesting to see if the U.S. interferes with it.

Maybe the solution that will give Saddam's victims closure while not offending the Saddam loyalists is to just hang a dummy of Saddam, and keep the real Saddam in prision for life.

I wonder what the Iraq Study Group would advise.

No matter what happens once faction in Iraq is going to be pissed and bomb something.

-HECK!

There will always be a bigger bomb somewhere.

-HECK!

Now they are saying that, since it is a religious holiday period, the execution of Saddam will offend Muslims. So I have two questions:

Should Iraq postpone the execution until after the religious holiday period ends?

Or, should Iraq carry out the execution now, and then apologize to offended Muslims?

WEll I am glad he was not executed today in fact it is a very smart move not to execute him today. Today is a muslim holiday of sacrifice or martyr's or something like that, remember what Sadamm said he was going to sacrifice hismelf for Iraq. Killing him on the hoiday celebrating sacrifdices after what he said would put him uo on near god like pedesatl for his followers and soon to be terror groups named after him ands his legacy.
Intresting though tht Sadamm should care about sacarfices or that Islmaic groups would use him as a martyr because the guy was an athesit reallly, he paid lip service to Islam but he could not really care less about Islamic states and things like that, it's part of the reason he and Bin Laden had such a deep distrust for each other.

I agree lodgebo, he wasn’t Muslim and knew little of their practices. Saddam is nothing more than an opportunist and this is just another opportunity to construct an image that is counterfeit and a legacy of equal imitation.

But it matters little of the crimes Saddam committed against other Muslims because they are engrained with such hated of the West so intensely that the enemy of their enemy is their friend.

Judge: Saddam to be executed by Saturday

Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein will be executed no later than Saturday, said an Iraqi judge authorized to attend his hanging, while the former dictator's lawyers said he had been transferred from U.S. custody.

The physical hand-over of Saddam to Iraqi authorities was believed to be one of the last steps before he was to be hanged, although the lawyers' statement did not specifically say Saddam was in Iraqi hands.

"A few minutes ago we received correspondence from the Americans saying that President Saddam Hussein is no longer under the control of U.S. forces," according to the statement faxed to The Associated Press.

Munir Haddad, a judge on the appeals court that upheld Saddam's death sentence, said he was ready to attend the execution.

"All the measures have been done," Haddad said. "There is no reason for delays."

In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has signed Saddam's death sentence, a government official said. The official, who refused to be identified by name because he was not authorized to release the information, said that Iraqi authorities were not yet in control of Saddam.

"We will get him when the execution is going to be carried out," said the official, who refused to give other details.

The discrepancy could not be explained.

The defense team statement called on "everybody to do everything to stop this unfair execution."

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-HECK!

Saddam was executed at just after 6.00am in Baghdad, apprently it was filmed, it was not done in the green zone and his daughter has requested the body there has also been a 48 hour curfew imposed in Tikirit won't make much diffrence if they are angry now they will be really pissed in 48 hours not only is the local hero dead but they miss an important muslim festival.

Anyway good riddance to one evil dude.

I need more confirmation of his death. Video images, still images etc very important for the Iraqi people to confirm his death.