Story Highlights
• NEW: Official: "Saddam's body is in front me. It's over."
• NEW: Witnesses report people "dancing around the body"
• Hussein lawyers lost last-minute appeal in U.S. court
• No details on where execution took place
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been executed, a witness said.
"Saddam's body is in front me," said an official in the prime minister's office when CNN telephoned. "It's over."
In the background, Shiite chanting could be heard. When asked about the chanting, the official said "These are employees of the prime minister's office and government chanting in celebration."
The witness reported that celebrations broke out after Hussein was dead, and that there was "dancing around the body."
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not attend the execution, according to an adviser to the prime minister who was interviewed on state television.
The execution was videotaped and photographed, state television reported, and those images will be distributed to the media.
Al-Arabiya television network reported that Barzan Hassan, Hussein's half-brother, and Awad Bandar, former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were hanged after Hussein. All three were convicted of killings in the Iraqi town of Dujail nearly 25 years ago.
Earlier, Munir Haddad, a judge on the appeals court that upheld the former dictator's death sentence, and an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki each confirmed the paperwork needed for Hussein's execution had been prepared late Friday.
At the same time, a U.S. district judge refused a request to stay the execution.
Attorney Nicholas Gilman said in an application for a restraining order, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, that a stay would allow Hussein "to be informed of his rights and take whatever action he can and may wish to pursue."
Haddad had called Gilman's filing "rubbish," and said, "It will not delay carrying out the sentence," which he called "final."
Haddad wouldn't disclose the location of the execution and said it wouldn't be broadcast live on TV because of human rights issues.
Throughout the day, there were conflicting reports about who had custody of Hussein. Giovanni di Stefano, one of Hussein's defense attorneys, told CNN the U.S. military officially informed him that the former Iraqi dictator had been transferred to Iraqi but that the move in U.S. court could have meant that Hussein was back in U.S. custody.
There had been speculation that Hussein would be executed before Eid Al-Adha -- a holiday period that means Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The law does not permit executions to be carried out during religious holidays.
Eid began Saturday for Sunnis and Sunday for Shiites and lasts for four days. Hussein is a Sunni Muslim.
Meeting with half-brothers
Another defense lawyer, Badie Aref, told CNN that Hussein met with two of his half-brothers in his cell on Thursday and passed on messages and instructions to his family.
"President Saddam was just bracing for the worst, so he wanted to see his brothers and pass on some messages and instructions to his family," Aref said. The half brothers who visited were Sabawi and Wathban Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, he said.
Another of Hussein's half-brothers, Barzan al-Tikriti, has been sentenced to death and is being held in Iraq under the same charges as Hussein.
Aref said the U.S. soldiers guarding Hussein on Tuesday took away a radio he kept in his cell so he could not hear news reports about his death sentence, which was confirmed that day.
"They did not want him to hear the news from the appeals court upholding the sentence," he said. "They gave him back the radio on Wednesday."
Aref said Saddam found out about the appeals court verdict "a few hours after it was announced."
Crimes against humanity
Hussein was convicted on November 5 of crimes against humanity in connection with the killings of 148 people in the rown of Dujail after an attempt on his life.
The dictator was found guilty of murder, torture and forced deportation.
The Dujail episode falls within 12 of the worst cases out of 500 documented "baskets of crimes" during the Hussein regime.
The U.S. State Department says torture and extrajudicial killings followed the Dujail killings and that 550 men, women and children were arrested without warrants.
CNN's Aneesh Raman, Arwa Damon, Ryan Chilcote, Sam Dagher, Jomana Karadsheh and Ed Henry contributed to this report.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Well, I guess that it's finally over. Though, I'm sure that we're going to see backlash from this, somehow. And, someone, somewhere, just as evil as him, or even worse, will rise to replace him. It always happens. He replaced Hitler. Even though there were differences... they were both rulers who commited heinous and evil things upon thousands of innocents.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
What you said about as people as evil as him reminded me of something. When I was in the Gulf we herd daily stories about the things that Sadamm did to people and we heard about the amputations, organ removal, tongue removal, fingers sliced off arms and legs broken all of these acts were carried out by a man in a mask. Now there were other things just as bad but my friend had a theory that because Sadamm kept his allies very very close is it at all possible that the guy in the mask was always the same guy or maybe one of two guys that Sadamm employed to do his dirty work. If that is true then somebody not as bad but as evil as Sadamm is probably walking free to day.
Absolutely so lodgebo but Saddam was the head of it all. Besides, I’m sure many of those within is regime, like the hooded guy had no choice but to follow his orders or else they would be the person on the opposite side of the hood.
Governor Bush on Kosovo war exit strategy in 99 ” Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
President Bush on Iraq war exit strategy from 2003 to 2008. “ “
I don't know about anyone else, but it was like watching something on tv. It wasn't "real" if you know what I mean. I don't think that I would feel anything unless it was right in front of me, in real life. Seeing it like that was too disconnected in my mind. But, he's gone.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Lawless said this in post #9 : I don't know about anyone else, but it was like watching something on tv. It wasn't "real" if you know what I mean. I don't think that I would feel anything unless it was right in front of me, in real life. Seeing it like that was too disconnected in my mind. But, he's gone.
I know what you mean. I would imagine that if one were actually in that dimly lit, grimy, little room as a witness, it would have been a life-altering experience. I'll bet the emotions were running pretty high.
I am interested in the huge backlash that is just now starting to develop. This morning, NBC, CBS, and ABC all characterized it as a big black eye for Bush, comparing it to the Abu Grabe prison scandal. The called it a debacle.
Apparently, they are upset about the disrespect shown to Saddam by the guards who interrupted Saddam's prayer with chants for Sadr.
How would one respectfully execute a hated dictator?
Who knows. No matter what happens you're gonna piss someone off over there. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't, damned if you kind of do and damned if you sorta don't.
Well the offical in charge of the execution has blasted the guards who chanted during the execution and he claimed that he almost called the whole thing off because of the witnesses and guards behaviour.
In the UK deputy Prime Minister John Presscott ( looks like Jabba the Hut BTW) has condemmed the mobile video and said that the perosn who posted it on the internet was deplorable.
Saddam Hussein did not receive a fair trial and his actions as president will never come to light. The fact that he was executed before the end of his second trial speaks to the horrid justice system set up in Iraq with the full support of the US government. If this was Cuba, you'd see the US government talking about how barbaric Fidel Castro is. Imagine all the Iraqis that will be tried under this system now, are you seriously telling me such a system is fair? Within two months of being found guilty, I am now put to death?
They created such a system so they could kill Hussein quickly, thus all his crimes and cooperation with the US and European governments in the 1980's will go with him to the grave. Whatever happened to the trial about gassing the Kurds? Bah, this will now lead to more violence as it appears this was pushed by the Shiites in the Iraqi government.
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby
The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.
- Gordon Parks
EUCLID said this in post #10 :
How would one respectfully execute a hated dictator?
I for long time stated my dislike to the dictator, I was looking forward to his removal and trial although he dose not deserve one. I am against his execution, because it will end his misery fast.
But when I watched the video, I was shocked and disgusted by the way he was treated, what they did to him was exactly what he did to thousands of Iraqis during his time. The way he was treated brought to my mind his time and I can see that those who executed him have his own mentality and this was a frightening moment for me as I can see that Iraq is filled with people with Saddam mentality and brutality.
It is clear that nothing was changed and Iraq is in no way will ever be a country that it will respect humanity.
I had been living outside Iraq for many years because of saddam and was hopping that one day I will return to my home land. Now I can say farewell Iraq nothing had changed and nothing will. I am so sad so sad
Inner City Blues said this in post #13 :
he was executed before the end of his second trial speaks to the horrid justice system set up in Iraq with the full support of the US government.
According to Iraqi law, no one would be receiving the capital punishment if he is over 70 years old.
On 28th April 2007 Saddam would be 70 years old, and that’s why there was no time to waste (according to what the new rulers of Iraq think) they wanted him dead by any possible means. As I mentioned earlier I am totally against him, but that was not the way things should be, otherwise what difference was there??
That’s how Iraq was and how it is and how will be, a place of unjust for everyone. So sad
12-30-2006 04:24 AM
