Tuesday, 02 January 2007
The saudi Gazette
It now appears, given the release of new video of Saddam Hussein’s execution, that the hanging of the former president was an act of revenge rather than of justice.
Interestingly, the United States played a hands-off role in Saddam’s execution, urging caution and restraint to the Iraq government.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki overrode constitutional and religious precepts that would have given the condemned man a more dignified death and showcased to the world that Iraq is a government seeking justice and demonstrating compassion. Rather, one Iraqi government official callously told The New York Times that Saddam’s execution was an Eid gift to the Iraqi people.
Equally disturbing was the video featuring Shiite guards taunting Saddam Hussein and cheering their militia heroes. It was supposed to be a formal and solemn proceeding carried out by a dispassionate government.
“Yes, he was a dictator, but he was killed by a death squad,” one Sunni woman in western Baghdad told The Times. “What’s the difference between him and them?” It also continues to raise the question of whether the trial was fair. This was a trial backed, if not orchestrated, by the US government, which has demonstrated that suspected militants in the US, Iraq and elsewhere can be detained without due process and considers torture a legitimate interrogation method.
Another question raised is whether revenge through the death penalty can bring closure, or does it elicit more revenge and more violence, spawning a wave of hatred that no human force may be able to stop. It has become increasingly clear that the execution of Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with justice and was carried out only to satisfy the hatred he inspired in most of his compatriots. It makes the executioners no better than him.
Interestingly, the United States played a hands-off role in Saddam’s execution, urging caution and restraint to the Iraq government.
But Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki overrode constitutional and religious precepts that would have given the condemned man a more dignified death and showcased to the world that Iraq is a government seeking justice and demonstrating compassion. Rather, one Iraqi government official callously told The New York Times that Saddam’s execution was an Eid gift to the Iraqi people.
Equally disturbing was the video featuring Shiite guards taunting Saddam Hussein and cheering their militia heroes. It was supposed to be a formal and solemn proceeding carried out by a dispassionate government.
“Yes, he was a dictator, but he was killed by a death squad,” one Sunni woman in western Baghdad told The Times. “What’s the difference between him and them?” It also continues to raise the question of whether the trial was fair. This was a trial backed, if not orchestrated, by the US government, which has demonstrated that suspected militants in the US, Iraq and elsewhere can be detained without due process and considers torture a legitimate interrogation method.
Another question raised is whether revenge through the death penalty can bring closure, or does it elicit more revenge and more violence, spawning a wave of hatred that no human force may be able to stop. It has become increasingly clear that the execution of Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with justice and was carried out only to satisfy the hatred he inspired in most of his compatriots. It makes the executioners no better than him.
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