Post by Mez on Nov 5, 2006 9:30:18 GMT -5
Saddam Hussein sentenced to death by hanging
The court also sentenced Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the head of Iraq's former Revolutionary Court, to death by hanging.
Iraq's former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Three other co-defendants were found guilty of murder and torture. One defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence.
A trembling Saddam, who wanted to sit but was forced by guards to stand for the verdict, yelled out: "Life for the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!"
The case will now move to an appeal court within the next 10 days, and if the sentence is confirmed, Hussein will face execution within 30 days.
"The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq's history," Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Shiite prime minister, said.
This historic trial wrapped up as Hussein is in the midst of a second trial which began in August, on charges of genocide against the Kurds.
The former Iraqi dictator was found guilty Sunday in the case turning on the mass murder of 148 Shiite Muslims in the town of Dujail in 1982.
Most of Iraq was in lockdown in anticipation of more violence from insurgent groups and Hussein supporters.
Clashes immediately broke out Sunday in north Baghdad's heavily Sunni Azamiyah district, and a Sunni political leader condemned the court decision.
"This government will be responsible for the consequences, with the deaths of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands, whose blood will be shed," Salih al-Mutlaq, the Sunni politician, told the al-Arabiya satellite television station.
Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi condemned the trial as a "farce," and claimed the verdict was planned.
However, he told The Associated Press that Saddam called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and to refrain from taking revenge on U.S. troops in Iraq.
"His message to the Iraqi people was 'pardon and do not take revenge on the invading nations and their people'," al-Dulaimi. "The president also asked his countrymen to 'unify in the face of sectarian strife.'"
In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, 1,000 people defied a curfew and carried pictures of Saddam through the streets. Some condemned the ruling, whch they said was orchestrated by the U.S.
"By our souls, by our blood we sacrifice for you Saddam" and "Saddam your name shakes America."
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the decision marks a historic moment for Iraq, calling it "an opportunity to unite and build a better future.''
Saddam's supporters had threatened bloodshed if he was convicted at the end of the nine-month trial, and U.S. and Iraqi forces stepped up security Saturday in a country that is in a constant state of martial law.
New security checkpoints sprang up around the city late last week ahead of the ruling. Military patrols were increased and a main Baghdad bridge that carries traffic past the Green Zone has been blocked off.
The curfew is in place until further notice, keeping people at home and vehicles off the streets. Baghdad's airport was also shutdown.
The clampdown comes as a wave of increased violence sweeps Iraq. Police found the bodies of 87 torture victims throughout the capital over Thursday and Friday, and across Iraq, at least 16 people were killed or found dead on Saturday.
Such heavy security measures haven't been seen in Iraq since the sectarian bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra last February.
With files from Associated Press
Source: news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20061104%2fhussein_verdict_061105&showbyline=True
The court also sentenced Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the head of Iraq's former Revolutionary Court, to death by hanging.
Iraq's former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Three other co-defendants were found guilty of murder and torture. One defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence.
A trembling Saddam, who wanted to sit but was forced by guards to stand for the verdict, yelled out: "Life for the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!"
The case will now move to an appeal court within the next 10 days, and if the sentence is confirmed, Hussein will face execution within 30 days.
"The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq's history," Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Shiite prime minister, said.
This historic trial wrapped up as Hussein is in the midst of a second trial which began in August, on charges of genocide against the Kurds.
The former Iraqi dictator was found guilty Sunday in the case turning on the mass murder of 148 Shiite Muslims in the town of Dujail in 1982.
Most of Iraq was in lockdown in anticipation of more violence from insurgent groups and Hussein supporters.
Clashes immediately broke out Sunday in north Baghdad's heavily Sunni Azamiyah district, and a Sunni political leader condemned the court decision.
"This government will be responsible for the consequences, with the deaths of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands, whose blood will be shed," Salih al-Mutlaq, the Sunni politician, told the al-Arabiya satellite television station.
Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi condemned the trial as a "farce," and claimed the verdict was planned.
However, he told The Associated Press that Saddam called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and to refrain from taking revenge on U.S. troops in Iraq.
"His message to the Iraqi people was 'pardon and do not take revenge on the invading nations and their people'," al-Dulaimi. "The president also asked his countrymen to 'unify in the face of sectarian strife.'"
In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, 1,000 people defied a curfew and carried pictures of Saddam through the streets. Some condemned the ruling, whch they said was orchestrated by the U.S.
"By our souls, by our blood we sacrifice for you Saddam" and "Saddam your name shakes America."
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the decision marks a historic moment for Iraq, calling it "an opportunity to unite and build a better future.''
Saddam's supporters had threatened bloodshed if he was convicted at the end of the nine-month trial, and U.S. and Iraqi forces stepped up security Saturday in a country that is in a constant state of martial law.
New security checkpoints sprang up around the city late last week ahead of the ruling. Military patrols were increased and a main Baghdad bridge that carries traffic past the Green Zone has been blocked off.
The curfew is in place until further notice, keeping people at home and vehicles off the streets. Baghdad's airport was also shutdown.
The clampdown comes as a wave of increased violence sweeps Iraq. Police found the bodies of 87 torture victims throughout the capital over Thursday and Friday, and across Iraq, at least 16 people were killed or found dead on Saturday.
Such heavy security measures haven't been seen in Iraq since the sectarian bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra last February.
With files from Associated Press
Source: news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20061104%2fhussein_verdict_061105&showbyline=True
