Saturday, December 30, 2006
Saddam's execution
The judge who read the order for Saddam Hussein's execution told RFE/RL that the former Iraqi president said he was "not afraid of death" before he was executed early this morning in the presence of judicial and government figures. "The execution took place after 6:10 in the morning outside the Green Zone [in Baghdad]," Iraqi judge Munir Haddad told RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq. "There were 14 people present including [myself], a member of the High Iraqi Tribunal, Prosecutor-General Monqeth al-Ferawn, the deputy justice minister, representatives of the Council of Ministers, and other government figures, as well as four prison guards. There were no representatives from American side." Haddad, who also read out Hussein's sentence, described the former leader's last hours. "Saddam Hussein was dressed in black clothes, wearing a Baghdadi hat. He had his beard. In his hands, he was holding his famous Koran," Haddad said.
"He wasn't afraid. He was normal. He said, 'I'm used to fighting, and I'm not afraid of death.' He recited the two shahadas. He also talked about politics, and said, 'I warn you about the Persians. [And for Iraq], I recommend tolerance.' He recited the two shahadas and then he died immediately," Haddad recalled. Iraqis were able to see the moments before the execution for themselves. Footage broadcast on state television showed an apparently calm Hussein chatting with his masked executioners before the noose was placed around his neck. The footage did not show the actual moment of the hanging.
Initial reports that Hussein's half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, and former judge Awad al-Bander were also executed were later denied by Iraqi officials. In the United States, a judge refused to stop Hussein's execution, rejecting a last-minute court challenge by the former Iraqi president. Earlier, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the time of the execution was agreed upon during a meeting on December 29 between U.S. and Iraqi officials.
"He wasn't afraid. He was normal. He said, 'I'm used to fighting, and I'm not afraid of death.' He recited the two shahadas. He also talked about politics, and said, 'I warn you about the Persians. [And for Iraq], I recommend tolerance.' He recited the two shahadas and then he died immediately," Haddad recalled. Iraqis were able to see the moments before the execution for themselves. Footage broadcast on state television showed an apparently calm Hussein chatting with his masked executioners before the noose was placed around his neck. The footage did not show the actual moment of the hanging.
Initial reports that Hussein's half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, and former judge Awad al-Bander were also executed were later denied by Iraqi officials. In the United States, a judge refused to stop Hussein's execution, rejecting a last-minute court challenge by the former Iraqi president. Earlier, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the time of the execution was agreed upon during a meeting on December 29 between U.S. and Iraqi officials.
