Saddam Execution Video Scandal Fuels Reactions
By Leta Hong Fincher
Washington, DC
04 January 2007
An Iraqi official says the person suspected to have secretly recorded video of Saddam Hussein's execution on a mobile phone camera has been arrested. Bush administration officials say the United States raised concerns about the manner of the execution.
An adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the government is leading an investigation into the abusive acts at Saddam's execution.
Mobile phone footage---widely distributed on the Internet---documents witnesses taunting Saddam Hussein moments before he was hanged.
Sunni Arabs in Iraq have staged demonstrations at the conduct of Saddam's execution, saying it was an act of pure vengeance by the Shiite-led government.
The top U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad attempted to distance the United States from the manner of Saddam's execution. "If you are asking me 'would we have done things differently?' Yes, we would have. But that's not our decision. That's the government of Iraq's decision."
President Bush declined to answer a question about the former Iraqi ruler's execution when he spoke to reporters Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad had expressed its concerns over the handling of Saddam's execution. But he emphasized that Saddam Hussein was executed after a long trial that met international standards. "There seems to be a lot of concern about the last two minutes of Saddam Hussein's life and less about the first 69 [years] in which he murdered hundreds of thousands of people."
Experts on the Middle East say the scandal has further inflamed sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs in Iraq. Edmund Ghareeb is an international relations scholar at American University in Washington D.C.
"It is likely to pour oil on the fire of sectarianism and that in itself is going to make life difficult for both the United States and the Iraqi government."
An Iraqi special tribunal condemned Saddam to death in November for his role in ordering the executions of 148 Shi'ites after a failed assassination attempt in 1982.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/li...0104-voa03.htm
I think I read a news article a day before the execution which speculated that video would be freely floating around on the internet. So not a big surprise, really.
This is what I said in the Saddam Execution thread too - that this video mess could've been handled better. But that was before people started jumping down my throat and I thought I'd rather leave that thread.
"There is no excellence in all this world that can be separated from right living." - David Star Jordan My Blog
The execution of Saddam was a disaster as was his trial in reality too. Both should and could have been handled better.Originally Posted by Karthik
Brian..
Iraq is a new government enthralled in War. They did the best with what they had to work with at the time, which wasn't a whole lot.
In early American colonial times, I recall the unfair trials of the accused, like traitors and witches, that were hung up and set fire for all to see. Today, we could never imagine such as that.
Think about it.
In the UK to in the old times there were unfair trails and throughout the world, but we are no longer in those times. The new so Government in Iraq has done nothing to bring peace as it is seen to merely a pupprt of the Americans. Likewise the Americans who had held Saddam until the last minute quickly distanced themselves, but clearly their top officials in Iraq know full well the situation within the Iraq governmernt and clearly knew something like this might happen.
What should have been a fair trial wasnt and what should have been a clean cut execution under Iraq law wasnt. Anything gained from hanging Saddam was lost in effect and in retaliation the next day Iraqi sectarian violence saw hangings from trees of those who had not supported the sentence in several areas of Iraq. More lives lost.
Perhaps someone should look at the case of Muhamud Munaf as well as he is due to hang, has not had a fair trial, was not allowed council at his trial or to speak and IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
Something else to think about.
Brian..
Justice is of the Victor.
That, unfortunately, is the universal truth!
Remainder is cosmetic and propaganda!
Not that I am enamoured by the Islamists!
"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."
I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
HAKUNA MATATA
Far from it my Friend!! If the justice is crooked there is no justice. Incidentaly I was no fan of Saddam either, but if proper justice had been done then justice would have been the victor.
Brian..
Be interesting to see what the perpetraitor gets charged with.
However also what steps with the Iraqis take to ensure that the same scenario is not repeated in future? Not the video, but what was on the video.
Well said Trooth! I agree it will be interesting to see what the perpertraitor of the film gets chared with, plus I think important to see what judgement is passed on him.
Brian..
My thoughts on it, exactly.
"There is no excellence in all this world that can be separated from right living." - David Star Jordan My Blog
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