Saddam Hussein To Be Executed

[Theland]

Is this a fitting end for this tyrant? Personally, I would prefer to see him imprisoned, for two reasons. 1) Regardless of his crime, I cannot bring myself to feel approval for the death penalty, and 2) I think that his death will have terrible repurcussions, first in Iraq, but then in a much wider sphere, possibly here also in the U.K.

[jno]

I agree; but I imagine they're afraid he would somehow escape if left in jail, which would be a propaganda disaster.

[Theland]

That's a good point, as I imagine that Iraqi jails are not the most secure, and corruption etc compromises them further. But, what a propaganda disaster if he gets martyr status?

[jno]

I think he already has that. He could become an icon like Mandela or he could just be slowly forgotten, so it's risky. But I'm against capital punishment

[jamesy boy]

I'd like to see him in a UK jail, so he can be released after 6 months and get a flat overlooking a Kurdish primary school, and then make a few quid out of his autobiography.

[dyli795]

I hate to admit it, but the answer from jamesy fits best the reality of the way things go in general these days. There must be job for him as interpreter perhaps down at the job center? What's wrong with that? Come on! Be fair!

[jno]

would those who claim this is 'reality' care to put a few quid on it down at PaddyPower? Or could they just be exaggerating a little?

[kev100]

This man murdered half a million people what needs to be discussed?

[noxlumos]

Whether it's wrong for him to murder people he doesn't like but ok for us to do the same? I think that needs answering, but no-one as yet has managed to actually answer why we feel we can do that.
Leave him in jail for life.

[Lonnie]

Well, its their country, the crimes were committed against their people, if thats their decision, i'm for it,, my view is that he's a large scale murderer, and deserves to hang.

[China Doll]

In my head he deserves to suffer. Death is surely the easy way out then as once you're dead you're untouchable. I would rather he suffered a life time of punishment in jail.

[shaneystar2]

Difficult ....if they hang him he will become a martyr ..if they imprison him ..he will demand the usual conditions which means he will end up like Hess ..guarded over by various powers that be ..the Americans or us because it looks like a long haul in Iraq.This is not a war that can be sorted out just by getting rid of a dictator .Do they really think that by hanging him all their problems will be solved at the drop of a rope .I don't think so.If anything it will cause more hate and discontent .
I think that we have dug ourselves into a very deep hole which will take a long time to dig ourselves out of. This war is another Vietnam and hanging Saddam won't solve the problem only exacerbate it .

[zimzam]

I think the situation goes deeper than the recent war. It concerns the genocide of Saddam's people having used some as guinea pigs and not so much the recent war (brought about by a country that lusts for another countries oil) I cannot comprehend or accept the laws in the Middle East as what the people are brought up to believe in and to accept as their way of life....stoning, hands chopped off, and so much more, BUT this is their way of life and all that they know and abide by and the laws pf their Country that they were born in. There were never any WMD's Saddam ruled harshly to the outsiders point of view and he was cruel in many ways and his people knew no better as they had lived under previous tyrants/rulers who instigated much the same laws that more civilized nations find abhorrent. This continuing war has achieved nothing but made a volatile situation much worse. Saddam is in some ways a scapegoat and in other ways guilty of genocide. Whether he is hung or is incarcerated in prison he will become and remain a martyr, but to what and whose cause? He has psychologically won this war and his death will light a terrible fuse.

[dyli795]

It's not too far from reality. Stranger things happen every day. The best thing to happen is let the people of Iraq decide for themselves, and carry out that decision.

[Carakeel]

I agree with nox on this. For starters, death is far too quick a solution for someone who has taken so many lives. Prison, hard labour and life on only the very basic of provisions. Then perhaps recordings of the voices and cries of the families he destroyed piped into his cell every day. But is this feasible? Probably not. But, I don't believe that taking Saddam's life will accomplish anything in a positive sense. In ancient times and in some countries even today, people like him were / are made to walk among the bereaved, who then stone the murderer. But again, what does this achieve? A brief moment of revenge for the families? Nobody can bring their sons and daughters back. Nobody can give them their "normal" life back again. And as much as we may not like it, many Iraqis see the British and American soldiers and politicians as murderers. So where does it all end? I don't know what the solution is. Saddam will remain a negative and dangerous influence on daily life, whether he hangs or not!

[jump79]

I can think of many other tyrants equally bad or far worse, ie- Milosevic, Pinochet etc who've either gotten away with it completely or escaped the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment ... I don't think executing Saddam will resolve anything, it seems one bad decision follows another re Iraq and his execution is certainly not going to help the current situation there.

[Booldawg]

How can Saddam Hussein be seen as an icon/martyr when he tried to appeal against his death sentence and lost?

[kwicky]

If we were to hang all leaders of countries that kill innocent civilians when do you expect Bush and Blair to go to the gallows? Or is dropping a bomb less brutal than the bullet?

[ummmm]

Thats what I was thinking Booldawg. He could never be a martyr in the true sense of the word.

[jno]

it's worth saying that there are serious doubts that this was a fair trial, claims that his lawyers weren't given details of the charges against him etc. Killing him may serve the purposes of the USA and UK and some Iraqis; but it's quite likely that he'd have been granted a retrial if he'd actually been tried in America or Britain. It all smells like victor's justice; but can we say it's all justified because Iraq is now better off than it was before?