According to Iraq’s high tribunal, the Iraqi appeals court has ruled to execute Saddam Hussein within 30 days. The nine-judge appeals panel has upheld the November 5 verdict of Iraqi High Tribunal. The tribunal had made trial on Saddam trial over the execution of 148 Shia villagers.
The Judge Arif Shaheen has told that the verdict was ultimate and legally binding. He said that
it could not exceed 30 days. As from tomorrow, the sentence could be carried out at any time.
Now, Iraq’s three-man presidency council must ratify the decision. However, the President Jalal Talabani has said that he would say his vice-presidents to ratify the decision because he is personally against the death penalty given to anybody.
On the other hand, Judge Shaheen said that death sentences had also been upheld for Saddam’s half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti. He was the head of Iraq’s intelligence service at the time of Dujail. The former revolutionary court judge Awad Ahmed al-Bandar also got the same decision who had given the order to execute the Dujail villagers.
Earlier, Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, had given his wish to have Saddam executed without haste.
Mr Basam Ridha, the Prime Minister’s liaison to the court, said that
yet no plan has been made for the execution. It will be premature to say it going to happen before next month.
The Saddam’s lead defence lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, has reacted by saying that the verdict was expected. He said that
we were not at all surprised, as we are convinced that that this has been a 100 per cent a political trial.
On the other hand, the Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticised the Iraqi High Tribunal for this decision.
The government of India, in a quick reaction, appealed within 30 minutes to spare him out after the Iraqi court’s announcement of execution of Saddam Hussein.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said that
we have seen reports, which said that an appeals court has confirmed death sentence. It is our hope that the sentence will not be carried out and the former president’s life would be spared.
New Delhi also hopes that no steps are taken which might obstruct the process of reconciliation and delay restoration of peace in that region.
