Guardian: 'He is already history'
In this remarkable dispatch, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, one of the few journalists who can still move freely about Baghdad, watches the execution with Sunni insurgents
Monday, January 01, 2007
Saddam Execution
ICH: Selective Justice Aand The Execution Of Saddam Hussein
By Gregory Elich
Hailed by President Bush as an act of "justice," former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed on the morning of December 30. Hussein's trial, Bush averred, had been a "fair" one.
Yet there was little that could be regarded as fair and legal about the proceedings.
The court itself was established at the Bush Administration's behest. U.S. dollars financed the proceedings, and U.S. officials provided aid, training and direct involvement.
The trial was fraught with problems. Three of Hussein's lawyers were murdered and many defense witnesses were intimidated into silence.
The trial was a U.S.-directed effort, intended to paint the occupation of Iraq in the best light. The U.S. and British invasion had, we are reminded by Western officials, overthrown this particular tyrant.
But tyrants, like war criminals, are in the eye of the beholder, and actions that might win praise and support for one man might be condemned for another. Saddam Hussein found himself on both sides of that equation at one time or another.
By Gregory Elich
Hailed by President Bush as an act of "justice," former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed on the morning of December 30. Hussein's trial, Bush averred, had been a "fair" one.
Yet there was little that could be regarded as fair and legal about the proceedings.
The court itself was established at the Bush Administration's behest. U.S. dollars financed the proceedings, and U.S. officials provided aid, training and direct involvement.
The trial was fraught with problems. Three of Hussein's lawyers were murdered and many defense witnesses were intimidated into silence.
The trial was a U.S.-directed effort, intended to paint the occupation of Iraq in the best light. The U.S. and British invasion had, we are reminded by Western officials, overthrown this particular tyrant.
But tyrants, like war criminals, are in the eye of the beholder, and actions that might win praise and support for one man might be condemned for another. Saddam Hussein found himself on both sides of that equation at one time or another.
Unofficial Video of Saddam Hanging
After he falls through the trap, abruptly cut off in his recitation of the Muslim profession of faith, someone in the room cries "The tyrant has fallen!" and the film shows the 69-year-old former strongman swinging on the rope, his eyes open and his neck twisted at a 90-degree angle to his right.
WARNING
Some viewers may find the video disturbing. It should only be watched by a mature audience.
Saddam Takes his Secrets to the Grave
Independent: He takes his secrets to the grave. Our complicity dies with him
by Robert Fisk
How the West armed Saddam, fed him intelligence on his 'enemies', equipped him for atrocities - and then made sure he wouldn't squeal
by Robert Fisk
How the West armed Saddam, fed him intelligence on his 'enemies', equipped him for atrocities - and then made sure he wouldn't squeal
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