Will Saddam Be Hanged?
Prosecution: Saddam Should Be Executed
In Closing Argument, Prosecution in Saddam Trial Says Ex-Iraqi Leader's Crimes Warrant Execution
Saddam Hussein listens as the prosecution makes its closing arguments at the trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and seven members of his regime in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, June 19, 2006. Saddam and the other defendants are on trial for charges of crimes against humanity in a crackdown against Shiites in the town of Dujail after a 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam, and are accused of torturing women and children and wrongfully killing 148 Shiites sentenced to death for the attack on the former Iraqi leader. (AP Photo, Pool)
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By BUSHRA JUHI
BAGHDAD, Iraq Jun 19, 2006 (AP)— The prosecutor asked for the death penalty for Saddam Hussein and two of his co-defendants, saying in closing arguments Monday that the former Iraqi leader and his regime committed crimes against humanity in a "revenge" attack on Shiite civilians in the 1980s.
The arguments brought the eight-month-old trial into its final phase. After Monday's session, the court adjourned until July 10, when the defense will begin making its final summation.
Saddam, dressed in a black suit, sat silently, sometimes taking notes, as chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi delivered his arguments, listing the evidence against each of the eight defendants.
Concluding his remarks, al-Moussawi asked for the death penalty against Saddam, his half brother Barzan Ibrahim the head of the Mukhabarat intelligence agency at the time and Taha Yassin Ramadan, a former senior regime member. The method of execution is hanging.
"The prosecution asks for the harshest penalty against them, because they spread corruption on earth, they showed no mercy even for the old, for women or for children, and even the trees were not safe from their oppression," he said. "The law calls for the death penalty and this is what we ask be implemented."
"Well done," Saddam muttered sarcastically.
The defense will likely take several sessions for its closing arguments. Then the five-judge panel is expected to call an adjournment to consider its verdicts against the eight defendants.
It is not known how long it will take for the judges to reach a decision. But the timeframe could mean verdicts as early as August or September.
Al-Moussawi asked for lenient sentences for three of the lower-level defendants Abdullah Kazim Ruwayyid, his son, Mizhar Ruwayyid, and Ali Dayih saying they committed their "acts to carry out orders issued by their superiors." He asked for the release of another defendant, Mohammed Azawi Ali, saying the evidence was not sufficient against him.
He did not specify a sentence for Awad al-Bandar, the former head of Saddam's Revolutionary Court, which sentenced 148 Shiites to death. Al-Moussawi said al-Bandar's actions "supported the crimes" committed by the others and asked that he be sentenced "according to the tribunal's law," which could include the death penalty or imprisonment. Continued
In Closing Argument, Prosecution in Saddam Trial Says Ex-Iraqi Leader's Crimes Warrant Execution
Saddam Hussein listens as the prosecution makes its closing arguments at the trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and seven members of his regime in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, June 19, 2006. Saddam and the other defendants are on trial for charges of crimes against humanity in a crackdown against Shiites in the town of Dujail after a 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam, and are accused of torturing women and children and wrongfully killing 148 Shiites sentenced to death for the attack on the former Iraqi leader. (AP Photo, Pool)
Video
By BUSHRA JUHI
BAGHDAD, Iraq Jun 19, 2006 (AP)— The prosecutor asked for the death penalty for Saddam Hussein and two of his co-defendants, saying in closing arguments Monday that the former Iraqi leader and his regime committed crimes against humanity in a "revenge" attack on Shiite civilians in the 1980s.
The arguments brought the eight-month-old trial into its final phase. After Monday's session, the court adjourned until July 10, when the defense will begin making its final summation.
Saddam, dressed in a black suit, sat silently, sometimes taking notes, as chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi delivered his arguments, listing the evidence against each of the eight defendants.
Concluding his remarks, al-Moussawi asked for the death penalty against Saddam, his half brother Barzan Ibrahim the head of the Mukhabarat intelligence agency at the time and Taha Yassin Ramadan, a former senior regime member. The method of execution is hanging.
"The prosecution asks for the harshest penalty against them, because they spread corruption on earth, they showed no mercy even for the old, for women or for children, and even the trees were not safe from their oppression," he said. "The law calls for the death penalty and this is what we ask be implemented."
"Well done," Saddam muttered sarcastically.
The defense will likely take several sessions for its closing arguments. Then the five-judge panel is expected to call an adjournment to consider its verdicts against the eight defendants.
It is not known how long it will take for the judges to reach a decision. But the timeframe could mean verdicts as early as August or September.
Al-Moussawi asked for lenient sentences for three of the lower-level defendants Abdullah Kazim Ruwayyid, his son, Mizhar Ruwayyid, and Ali Dayih saying they committed their "acts to carry out orders issued by their superiors." He asked for the release of another defendant, Mohammed Azawi Ali, saying the evidence was not sufficient against him.
He did not specify a sentence for Awad al-Bandar, the former head of Saddam's Revolutionary Court, which sentenced 148 Shiites to death. Al-Moussawi said al-Bandar's actions "supported the crimes" committed by the others and asked that he be sentenced "according to the tribunal's law," which could include the death penalty or imprisonment. Continued
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 5:18 AM
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