Ye Gods. We would have thought that the rather gruesome video footage of Saddam Hussein's execution - which has been plastered across every video-sharing website in the universe - would have put this nascent conspiracy theory to bed, but you can't keep a good tin-foil hat down. From saddamisnotdead.com:
'All the news networks of the world showing the antecedent moments to the hanging of Saddam Hussein. Journalists, Politicians, Everybody comment the death of Saddam Hussein.
But WHO HAS SEEN ENTIRELY THE HANGING OF SADDAM HUSSEIN?
WebSites like YouTUBE, Google Video should have on their homepages the video of this execution. But WHY is it completely impossible to find any scene bout this event?'
Riccardo S. Garelli
At first I thought this was an elaborate and well executed (ba-dum-tish) piss-take but apparently not. The site is the work of an Italian blogger named Riccardo S. Garelli who, having asserted that none of us have actually seen Hussein's real execution, read more
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Kashmiris protest at Saddam death
At least 20 people have been injured in protests in Indian-administered Kashmir over the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, police say.
Police in the summer capital, Srinagar, fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the hundreds of protesters. Read more
Police in the summer capital, Srinagar, fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the hundreds of protesters. Read more
Obituary: Saddam Hussein
During more than two decades as leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein's violent methods and uncompromising stance thrust his country onto the world stage.
Saddam Hussein's road to absolute power began in Tikrit, central Iraq, where he was born in 1937.
His stepfather beat him as a child, introducing him to the brutality and bullying which would mark his own life.
Joining up with the clandestine Baath party in 1956, he participated in a failed attempt to assassinate military ruler General Abdul Karim Qassem. Read more
Saddam Hussein's road to absolute power began in Tikrit, central Iraq, where he was born in 1937.
His stepfather beat him as a child, introducing him to the brutality and bullying which would mark his own life.
Joining up with the clandestine Baath party in 1956, he participated in a failed attempt to assassinate military ruler General Abdul Karim Qassem. Read more
Iraqi govt discusses release of Saddam Hussein execution images
Baghdad/Washington (ANTARA News) - An Iraqi official said Saturday the government was discussing whether to release photos and video images of the execution of Saddam Hussein.Read More
Iraqi UN ambassador: remember Saddam victims
Washington (ANTARA News) - Iraq`s ambassador to the United Nations urged the world to remember the victims of Saddam Hussein in comments broadcast shortly after the deposed Iraqi dictator was executed in Iraq around 6 am Baghdad time Saturday. Read more
New UN Secretary-General Counts Sudan, North Korea Among Priorities
By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
02 January 2007
Ban Ki-moon, in his first day on the job as U.N. secretary-general, has named Darfur, North Korea and the Middle East among his top priorities. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports Mr. Ban avoided criticizing the execution of Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Ban was greeted with applause from U.N. staff Tuesday as he took over as the world body's eighth secretary-general.
His first order of business was to pay respects to U.N. peacekeepers and others who died in the line of duty. He paused for a moment of silence at a meditation room in the U.N. lobby. Read more
United Nations
02 January 2007
Ban Ki-moon, in his first day on the job as U.N. secretary-general, has named Darfur, North Korea and the Middle East among his top priorities. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports Mr. Ban avoided criticizing the execution of Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Ban was greeted with applause from U.N. staff Tuesday as he took over as the world body's eighth secretary-general.
His first order of business was to pay respects to U.N. peacekeepers and others who died in the line of duty. He paused for a moment of silence at a meditation room in the U.N. lobby. Read more
Iraqi Government to Investigate Saddam Execution, Unauthorized Video
By VOA News
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded.
Unlike the official execution videotape, which was silent, a mobile phone camera captured picture and sound of Saddam being taunted and then dropping to his death. One person also can be heard shouting "Moqtada," the name of a radical Shi'ite cleric and opponent of Saddam. Read More
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded.
Unlike the official execution videotape, which was silent, a mobile phone camera captured picture and sound of Saddam being taunted and then dropping to his death. One person also can be heard shouting "Moqtada," the name of a radical Shi'ite cleric and opponent of Saddam. Read More
Iraqi Government to Investigate Saddam Execution, Unauthorized Video
By VOA News
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded.
By VOA News
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Iraqi Government to Investigate Saddam Execution, Unauthorized Video
By VOA News
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded. Read more
02 January 2007
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
An Iraqi policeman watches a large-screen broadcast of the official video showing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein moments before his execution
Iraqi officials say they have launched an inquiry into the conduct of the execution of Saddam Hussein and how it was secretly recorded. Read more
Saddam Hussein Story (BBC Version)
If you see the Saddam Story, please visit : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/v3_iraq_timeline/html/default.stm
Saddam Hussein rose from an impoverished youth to become a ruthless ruler. His years in power saw him transformed from the West's ally against spreading Islamic fundamentalism to one of its most demonised and feared enemies.
With the former leader captured by US forces, BBC News Online traces the history of Saddam Hussein's turbulent rule.
Saddam Hussein rose from an impoverished youth to become a ruthless ruler. His years in power saw him transformed from the West's ally against spreading Islamic fundamentalism to one of its most demonised and feared enemies.
With the former leader captured by US forces, BBC News Online traces the history of Saddam Hussein's turbulent rule.
Saddam's execution shows true nature of U.S. policies
Tehran (ANTARA News) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein showed the true nature of the United States policies.
"The execution showed that the final destiny of relying on the US is not suitable," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Ahvaz, southern Iran, broadcast live on the news network Khabar.
While referring to the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, the president said that the US fully supported and encouraged Saddam as long as he was standing against Iran`s Islamic revolution but later dropped him "after he was no longer of any use."
He said that also the late Iranian king Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi had the same destiny and "eventually perished in humiliating exile."
"The regional states should learn a lesson and like Iran, solely rely on the will of its people rather on corrupt powers," Ahmadinejad said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam-Hossein Hadad-Adel on Tuesday welcomed the execution of Saddam but said the former dictator "was killed to save the US."
Tehran believes that Saddam`s swift execution was aimed at not allowing him to disclose the alleged US role or even approval of some of the late Iraqi leader`s crimes in the 1980s, DPA reported. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25413)
January 2, 2007
"The execution showed that the final destiny of relying on the US is not suitable," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Ahvaz, southern Iran, broadcast live on the news network Khabar.
While referring to the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, the president said that the US fully supported and encouraged Saddam as long as he was standing against Iran`s Islamic revolution but later dropped him "after he was no longer of any use."
He said that also the late Iranian king Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi had the same destiny and "eventually perished in humiliating exile."
"The regional states should learn a lesson and like Iran, solely rely on the will of its people rather on corrupt powers," Ahmadinejad said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam-Hossein Hadad-Adel on Tuesday welcomed the execution of Saddam but said the former dictator "was killed to save the US."
Tehran believes that Saddam`s swift execution was aimed at not allowing him to disclose the alleged US role or even approval of some of the late Iraqi leader`s crimes in the 1980s, DPA reported. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25413)
January 2, 2007
Amnesty condemns Saddam trial, death sentences
London (ANTARA News) - Amnesty International on Sunday condemned the death sentences handed to Saddam Hussein and two of his senior allies, describing their trial as a "shabby affair".
The London-based human rights group -- which opposes capital punishment -- said the trial should have helped the process of establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq but was in fact "deeply flawed and unfair".
"This trial should have been a major contribution towards establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq, and in ensuring truth and accountability for the massive human rights violations perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's rule," Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme, was quoted by AFP as saying.
"In practice, it has been a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws that call into question the capacity of the tribunal, as currently established, to administer justice fairly, in conformity with international standards."
Amnesty charged that "political interference undermined the independence and impartiality of the court", prompting the first presiding judge to resign and the appointment of another to be blocked.
The court also failed to take adequate measures to protect witnesses and defence lawyers, three of whom were killed during the trial, it added.
Saddam himself was denied access to legal counsel for the first year after his arrest, while there appeared to have been inadequate responses to complaints by lawyers throughout the judicial process, Amnesty said.
"Every accused has a right to a fair trial, whatever the magnitude of the charge against them. This plain fact was routinely ignored through the decades of Saddam Hussein's tyranny," Smart continued.
"His overthrow opened the opportunity to restore this basic right and, at the same time, to ensure, fairly, accountability for the crimes of the past. It is an opportunity missed."
Amnesty's charges were backed by some British Muslim groups, who said there would now be no opportunity to force Saddam to explain issues surrounding the Iran-Iraq war and the invasion of Kuwait.
The moderate Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of more than 400 organisations, said it was questionable whether Saddam received a fair trial.
MCB general-secretary Muhammad Abdul Bari also said: "There will be many in the Muslim world who will be asking when those responsible for launching the calamitous war in Iraq, in which tens of thousands on innocent people have died, will also be brought to justice."
The Stop the War Coalition's Andrew Burgin went further: "The trial of Saddam should be followed very closely by the trial of (US President) George Bush and (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair who have managed to surpass his achievements by being responsible for killing more Iraqis than him."
Saddam was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity for his role in ordering the deaths of 148 Shiite villagers in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad.
Amnesty said it would follow closely the appeal stage, the procedure for which begins Monday, saying the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal had a chance to "redress the flaws" of the Dujail trial in future proceedings. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=22749)
November 6, 2006
The London-based human rights group -- which opposes capital punishment -- said the trial should have helped the process of establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq but was in fact "deeply flawed and unfair".
"This trial should have been a major contribution towards establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq, and in ensuring truth and accountability for the massive human rights violations perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's rule," Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme, was quoted by AFP as saying.
"In practice, it has been a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws that call into question the capacity of the tribunal, as currently established, to administer justice fairly, in conformity with international standards."
Amnesty charged that "political interference undermined the independence and impartiality of the court", prompting the first presiding judge to resign and the appointment of another to be blocked.
The court also failed to take adequate measures to protect witnesses and defence lawyers, three of whom were killed during the trial, it added.
Saddam himself was denied access to legal counsel for the first year after his arrest, while there appeared to have been inadequate responses to complaints by lawyers throughout the judicial process, Amnesty said.
"Every accused has a right to a fair trial, whatever the magnitude of the charge against them. This plain fact was routinely ignored through the decades of Saddam Hussein's tyranny," Smart continued.
"His overthrow opened the opportunity to restore this basic right and, at the same time, to ensure, fairly, accountability for the crimes of the past. It is an opportunity missed."
Amnesty's charges were backed by some British Muslim groups, who said there would now be no opportunity to force Saddam to explain issues surrounding the Iran-Iraq war and the invasion of Kuwait.
The moderate Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of more than 400 organisations, said it was questionable whether Saddam received a fair trial.
MCB general-secretary Muhammad Abdul Bari also said: "There will be many in the Muslim world who will be asking when those responsible for launching the calamitous war in Iraq, in which tens of thousands on innocent people have died, will also be brought to justice."
The Stop the War Coalition's Andrew Burgin went further: "The trial of Saddam should be followed very closely by the trial of (US President) George Bush and (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair who have managed to surpass his achievements by being responsible for killing more Iraqis than him."
Saddam was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity for his role in ordering the deaths of 148 Shiite villagers in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad.
Amnesty said it would follow closely the appeal stage, the procedure for which begins Monday, saying the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal had a chance to "redress the flaws" of the Dujail trial in future proceedings. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=22749)
November 6, 2006
Saddam execution to be carried out within 30 days
Baghdad (ANTARA News) - The death sentence on Saddam Hussein and two co-defendants in his trial for crimes against humanity will be carried out within 30 days, appeals court judge Arif Shaheen said Tuesday.
"It cannot exceed 30 days. As from tomorrow the sentence could be carried out at any time," the judge said, after confirming that the sentences had been upheld and that the trial process was complete and without appeal.
A panel of Iraqi judges has upheld the death sentence passed against Saddam Hussein, a spokesman for the court said Tuesday, in a decision that could see the ousted dictator hanged within 30 days.
"The appeals court has ratified the sentence of the execution of Saddam," Judge Raed al-Juhi told AFP. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25186)
December 26, 2006
"It cannot exceed 30 days. As from tomorrow the sentence could be carried out at any time," the judge said, after confirming that the sentences had been upheld and that the trial process was complete and without appeal.
A panel of Iraqi judges has upheld the death sentence passed against Saddam Hussein, a spokesman for the court said Tuesday, in a decision that could see the ousted dictator hanged within 30 days.
"The appeals court has ratified the sentence of the execution of Saddam," Judge Raed al-Juhi told AFP. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25186)
December 26, 2006
Vatican criticizes Saddam death sentence
Rome (ANTARA News) - The Vatican has criticized the decision of an Iraqi appeals court to uphold the death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity, La Repubblica newspaper reported Thursday.
The president of the papal council for justice and peace, Cardinal Renato Martino, told the paper he did not think one crime could be offset with another and said he hoped the sentence would not be carried out.
"The death penalty is not a natural death. And no one can give death, not even the state," said Martino. The teachings of the Catholic Church demanded that human life be protected from its "conception" to a "natural death," he explained.
Martino also appealed for an international conference and negotiations to resolve the conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the entire Middle East region.
Saddam and six of his former top government aides were found guilty on November 5 of ordering the killing of 148 Shiites in the town of Dujail in 1982 in retaliation for an attempt on Saddam`s life.
Iraq`s appeals court on Tuesday rejected an appeal against the death sentence imposed on Saddam and two co-defendants - his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, one of his former aides, DPA reported. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25275)
December 29, 2006
The president of the papal council for justice and peace, Cardinal Renato Martino, told the paper he did not think one crime could be offset with another and said he hoped the sentence would not be carried out.
"The death penalty is not a natural death. And no one can give death, not even the state," said Martino. The teachings of the Catholic Church demanded that human life be protected from its "conception" to a "natural death," he explained.
Martino also appealed for an international conference and negotiations to resolve the conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the entire Middle East region.
Saddam and six of his former top government aides were found guilty on November 5 of ordering the killing of 148 Shiites in the town of Dujail in 1982 in retaliation for an attempt on Saddam`s life.
Iraq`s appeals court on Tuesday rejected an appeal against the death sentence imposed on Saddam and two co-defendants - his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barzan al-Tikriti and Awad Ahmed al-Bandar, one of his former aides, DPA reported. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA (http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=25275)
December 29, 2006
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