Comments

08/11: Saddam Hussein's death sentence

On the fifth of November, Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator, was sentenced to death by hanging. While I wasn't surprised by the verdict, I couldn't help but think about the timing of the verdict and the effect it will have on the currently ongoing elections in the US. This is no doubt a cheap move by President Bush to gain support, from the American public, which is diminishing day by day.

noose

I suppose I am not alone in thinking this. Many news sites have similar comments to this news. Even though Saddam deserves the harshest punishments possible, I don't consider the trial Saddam underwent to be fair or unbiased. The American interest and/or involvement in this trial needs no explanation. I would have much rather preferred that Saddam's trial was held under the International Court of Justice which would have reduced the American influence on the trial considerably.




The decision has inflamed the Iraqi people and the curfew in Baghdad was evidence enough of the thoughts of the Iraqi people on this issue. During the trial, lawyers have been shot dead and judges removed for not being harsh enough on Saddam. The chaos emanating in Iraq will only require more troops to be sent there.

The decision, as it stands now, is a political move, intentionally or unintentionally aimed at making a martyr out of Saddam. Lest we all forget, Saddam was buddies with the USA once and was discarded when he had no value left for his American allies. Same is the case with Osama bin Laden. It is puzzling how America has no friends (except Israel) but many allies. This attitude is dangerous. Ayub Khan got it right in the title of his book, "Friends, Not Masters".

Unfortunately, this decision sets a precedent for certain regimes worldwide for feeling that there is no need to follow international law when you don't feel like it.

Also, when one thinks over the atrocious deeds of Saddam Hussein, one is led to wonder why Saddam is being punished when his brethren in spirit, Bush and Blair are free to spread destruction and carnage all over the world on false pretenses just to satisfy their greed and lust for oil. The entire ploy to spread democracy in Arab/Muslim countries is a sham. Have these so called leaders not realized that there is a reason why all five fingers are not equal?

One of the comments I found on Yahoo! News (quoted below), illustrates my point regarding Bush:

I suppose the Americans will claim another moral victory now, but all this will no doubt overshadow all other events in Iraq, and that is precisely what Bush intends it to do. The Americans did not invade Iraq because Saddam ordered the killing of 148 Dujaili villagers in 1982; they invaded unlawfully because, they say he invaded Kuwait and continued to threaten stability in the Middle East. I lived and worked, very comfortably in Iraq and other Middle Eastern states for many years before during and after the unlawful American invasion, and while Saddam was no Angel, he was no worse than any other Head of State in the region. I'm not saying Saddam deserves a place by God's right hand, but what I am saying is that the REAL terrorist; George W Bush, is still at large. How many people has Bush killed unlawfully, 148, or more?
Simon O'Connor, Limerick, Ireland


I will end this article with another comment from Yahoo! News:

The outcome was obvious from the start, and has been handled irresponsibly. First from the illegal bombing of his country to his illegal capture then the circus which followed. The court was just a front, just a circus for the world to watch. When a man has been deemed guilty or innocent by everyone giving judgement before the first session starts, it is not justice or right. Would we ever see Tony Blair treated like that if he was brought forward for using illegal weapons like scatter bombs, killing of the innocents in Pakistan and Iraq. Our own leaders are no worse than Saddam, the only difference is, the people knew where they stood with him under his reign.
Andrew Bozhko, Batley, West Yorkshire


Asad  Politics 
Karma: 441 [Add to karma] 


Comments made

You are quite right , its a cheap move by Bush who wants to increase his chances . But the results prove that this didn't work . I greatly appreciate that this time Americans have done the right thing . Thanks for your sensible voting because this doesn't just affect Americans , it affects the entire world and Pakistani's are for one no stranger to this phenomenon.
08/11 22:30:54
His capture by the US, isn't moral and lawful, in teh first place. Will the americans like this if the Pakistani Governmetn captures GW Bush just caz he planned the 9/11 incident??, killed thousands of ppl in Afghanistan and Iraq .... isn't their a set of law for all that in his country?? ... Saddam might've been bad ..but everybody can see ..IRAQ was way!!! better under his regime than is now under the so called US forces.
11/11 14:36:13
The Democrats won. It shows how much approval he really has in America for his war on Iraq.
11/11 17:34:21

Add comment

 

Allowed BBCode:[b] [i] [u] [color=] [size=] [quote] [code] [email] [img]

Comments must be approved before being published.

 

Copyright © 2006-2013 Asad Asif - All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.

CSS | XHTML 1.0 Strict | RSS