Is the Saddam Hussein trial a travesty of justice?
955694
John, You ask serious questions and you deserve serious answers -- even though they may not be what you want to hear.\n\nThe tribunal that convicted Saddam was not set up by the Americans, it was set up by the Iraqis themselves under provision of extant Iraqi law.\n\nTo group the rest of your questions together: \nIt's very important that Saddam by tried by his countrymen, and not by the World Court, or any other international tribunal. To try him there would have been an admission that the Iraqis lacked the ability to administer justice in their own land.\n\nWhether you or I agree with the whole Iraqi invasion is irrelevant. The fact is, now, it is imperative to do whatever it takes to send the message that the Iraqi government is in charge of its own destiny. How else can the fledgeling government claim any credibility at all if it fails to take on the responsibility of prosecuting this heinous criminal? \n\nAs to the release date of the sentence -- that date was established months ago when the verdict was announced. I doubt there was any connection between the announcement and the election in America. The new government in Iraq has been eager in recent months to demonstrate as much distance between their actions and the desires of the Americans as possible (consider the recent order by the government for the Americans to pull down blockades in Sadr City) I just don't believe they would be willing to be used like this.\n\nAnd finally, it really is worth noting -- you're correct, Saddam may have been tried by (what you call) "politcal/ethnic opponents;" but he was convicted on the basis of overwhelming amounts of unimpeachable evidence as to his active complicity in genocide. We owe it to ourselves to remember that.\n\nCheers, mate.
942167
i think that what has the world gain in sentencing another man to be hanged? It's another life taken away. Yes, even though Saddam has did things that's terrible but still it's a life. Nothing is being gain from a war, a fight or hanging a man! Instead saddam should be sentenced to help rebuild homes that were destroyed in the war, let him see and feel personally of what he had done! As for bush? He should also bear part of the blame for the war, a war can only be fought when there's 2 countires! I doubt he wld face the same penalty 24yrs down the road but i'm sure at the brink of his death he would feel remorse and guilt. Soldiers died in a war because the country needed them to but what about the women and children? They are the innocents whom got caught in the middle of the war. My prayers goes out to those whom have died for their country, the civilians and of cuz to those family whom has lost a brother, a husband, a father as no man is juz a soldier. In whatever name u call god, pray for those who suffered in the war.
1116594
Yes.  Vigilante Justice should not be acceptable in this country.  We are better than that.
1146473
Nope!! they should be tried in a military court!! Let our Military do the jobs they are supposed to do ! Hopefully if the military tries them justice will be swift and just!!
168162
One giant dropped ball.  No country on the planet seemed to really give a damn when it happened.  Now it's all political face saving and hypocracy.  I would just be glad that anything is being done.  The "justice" could easily be as forgoten as the actual act.
262405
Indeed, I wonder how long he'd last on the streets of Baghdad! I think one would have to be extremely politically correct to worry whether or not Saddam's getting a fair trial... Sad though it is - and a noble experiment - Bush's plan to bring democracy to Iraq has predictably turned to crap; give them democracy and they'll elect an autocratic cleric or madman. The Middle East typically produces characters like Saddam, essentially because that's what it wants. You can't educate people who are stuck in the Dark Ages.
1137868
The Americans have been gunning for his death all along, and\nwill defiantly impress upon the tribunal to give the Death penalty.\n\nBut you must also know, that even today Saddam is a feared and respected man by many in Iraq.The outcome will not be settled so fast. Did you see the Glaring eyes & stance when in court he recently told the judge"I am the ruler of Iraq and who are you, a foreigner trying to pass judgement on me?"\n\nThe recent spate of bombings in Iraq between the Shias and Sunnis is directly connected with Saddams case. Which country\nwould ever allow a foreign country to set up courts?\n\nNo. The chair will probably decay &break, and the switches/\nwires will rust or melt away.And dont suggest a rope, because there is no such strong rope exists in the World to snap such a\nstrong throat.
992116
Because every man is entitled to a fair trial. Although I think Saddam's chips are down, as the death penalty has been requested for him in the Iraq Courts...\n\nHe will get his, don't worry and it will be justice indeed because his own countrymen will be killing him...
946126
foolish hypocracy.\nthere're lots of people who deserve being sentenced to death much more than Saddam
781106
Undoubtedly, you're going to receive a lot of emotion-packed answers to this question, so let me try to be as dispassionate as possible. I have to admit, I'm torn on the whole permissability of the death penalty; but in this instance I think it has to take place.\n\nThe Shiia and the Kurds require closure on Saddam's era; and so long as Saddam lives he's going to be a lightning rod for every discontented Sunni. Yes, there will be some initial unrest, but in the long-run, I honestly believe it's in the best interests of all three groups if Saddam is taken out of the picture. While he lives, I just don't see how these groups have even the slightest chance of making a go of even attempting to pull together something that looks like a nation.\n\nThere is such a thing as "raisons d'etat;" and for "reasons of state" I believe he has to go.
121580
Not a good syllogism.  Yes the US IS guilty of warcrimes. Yes the war was totally under false pretenses and yes the Iraqis are not better off today.  HOWEVER, in my wildest dreams I can not vusualize how Humpty Dumpty could be put back together. \n\nwe are kind of stuck with this Kubuki Theater and for good or ill, ( I think ill ) , its slowly, inexorably moving forward.\n\nHowerver the US has no legitimacy in this dog and kangroo court show.
1059302
The hussein trail is a farce as he is being charged for supposed war crimes\nby the people he committed the crimes for(americans) who are now committing the same war crimes all over the world.\nThe government does not want it in the media as it might lead to many questions that have to be answered about their own actions.
921743
Saddam Hussein did some terrible things, but I don't support the death penalty under any circumstances.  Let's not forget that the U.S. government was friendly with him up until the day he invaded Kuwait.  Furthermore, he is to be hanged, which is rather draconian.
834572
Please keep in mind that what some criminals do to their victims is much worse than the death penalty.  Many victims who were tortured and raped repeatedly for years while being held captive in makeshift dungeons would have welcomed a swift death rather than what they experienced.  Many people think that the death penalty is too good for some of those criminals.  They would prefer subjecting them to the same torture they perpetrated on their victims.  But doing that would be inhumane, and, in essence, they would be lowering themselves to the level of the criminals.  So, they try to show some compassion by providing them with a more humane penalty--a quick death rather than a slow one involving torture.  Although I'm not a religious person, I think it's interesting that the Bible recommends an eye for an eye.  Maybe that's why church and state are separate.  If the church were running the justice system, I fear penalties would become worse than the crimes.  If you don't think so, look at the Middle East where  women are stoned to death for committing adultery or having sex out of wedlock.  So, when you look at the death penalty from that perspective, it doesn't seem so bad--well, unless you're the one on death row, I guess.  My opinion is that the people justly receiving the death penalty probably deserve worse, and should consider themselves fortunate.  \n\nYes, my country, USA, has the death penalty (in many states).\n\nYes. In my opionion, Sadam Hussein deserves what he got (and worse).
880317
Saddam was supposed to be hanged to death by now.  Unfortunately he has been sentenced to death after 9 months trial and 3 years have passed since he was arrested.\n\nI'm with majority of Iraqis and they are Kurds.  I would love to celebrate as Saddam was a buture who killed many hundreds of thousands of his own people during his regime.
915529
How quick are people here to jump blindly to all kinds of conclusions about this.  Firstly, most people are forgetting that your question as us if WE were sentenced to death....perhaps some people here should try to get their head round that bit of the concept first before assuming that anyone should be sentenced to death.  \n\nThere have been a lot of miscarriages of justice - in the UK think of people who have been released years after being sentenced because they were wrongly imprisoned in the first place. You can't bring people back from the dead so there's a moral and ethical question people ought to ask themselves about whether the death penalty - is something that is right in the first place.  Thankfully in the UK we abolished it but there are plenty of other countries that still exercise this sentencing option.  \n\nWhen is it right to sentence someone to death, and when is it not?\n\nOf course this question has probably been prompted by the news that Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.  Even in the case of such a tyrant he did not act alone - he had people around him who supported him in his actions.  Yes some will have done it out of fear, but for everyone of those there will have been someone who did it with the same intent as Saddam.  Whilst I abhor his actions is it right that he carries this alone?\n\nOf course, in an instance like this people's gut reactions will think I'm a bleeding heart liberal.  But now imagine you're in a train carriage with two other people.  One gets up and brutally stabbing the other before jumping off the still moving train.  You're found bent over the body with blood on your hands.  The CCTV wasn't working and all the evidence points at you.  Do you still believe in the death penalty?\n\nThere've been cases where people have been sentenced to death despite having the mental age of a child and not knowing the difference between right and wrong - they're particularly tragic.  And then there are the options themselves as to the way you die.  Lethal injection etc.  They say that some methods are quicker than others.  The quickest, I understand, is meant to take almost immediate effect and yet in some US States where they offer this the doctor still does not declare the patient dead for 30 minutes, suggesting that it is not as quick as they claim. If it has to be then surely it should be by the quickest method possible.  As if someone is to die a slow death then are we not committing an act of torture leading to death?  Don't we become as bad as the person who's committed the crime?
818079
No one (OK only a very few people) can take an apologist stand for this man, he was a street thug who rose to power and, like so many before him, abused that power to retain it.  There are no mitigating factors here and, although I view everything I hear from Iraq with a huge amount of cynicism, I do not doubt his guilt.\n\nThere are two things that bother me however the first is my general opposition to the death penalty, I see the need for retribution in some cases but I fail to see how this is achieved by multiplying the number of coffins involved.  The second thing is that we, and by that I describe both the USA and the UK, promoted and supported this man for years, we nearly wet ourselves with joy when he began to make war on Iran where he did incalculable damage and wrought havoc while we capered gleefully at his behaviour.\n\nWe encouraged him in what he became and are, to a degree, culpable in his maintenance of power and I just find it distasteful that we should all be so pleased at the prospect of another death.