Top Story USA
16
January 2007
Criticism of
Botched Iraq hangings grows
The United Nations and the European Union have strongly condemned
the executions of Saddam Hussein's two top aides in Baghdad.
The UK and US also expressed concern about the conduct of the
executions.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon regretted the move, while EU
said it is opposed to capital punishment under any circumstances.
Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bander were hanged
for crimes against humanity, two weeks after the Saddam Hussein’s
execution. The head of the former Iraqi dictator's half brother
Barzan Ibrahim was severed from his body during the execution,
but officials said it was an accident.
Barzan Ibrahim, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar had been found guilty
along with Saddam of in the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims after
a 1982 assassination attempt on the former Iraqi dictator in
the town of Dujail north of Baghdad.
The executions took place in north Baghdad’s military
intelligence headquarters building, located in the Shiite neighborhood
of Kazimiyah.
Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti was Saddam Hussein’s half-brother
and served as the head of Mukhabarat, the secret police under
the former regime. Holding a senior position in the Iraqi government
at the time of the US-led invasion of 2003 on Iraq, he was a
key target for capture.
Calling for an inquiry, Sunnis in Iraq expressed concern over
news that one of the men's head was severed during the execution.
The bungled hangings have also aroused Arab suspicions of foul
play, deepening the divide between the Iraqi government and
Arabs in other countries. The Arabs cast doubt on the official
explanation which says there was "violation of procedure"
in the hangings of former Iraqi dictator’s co-defendants.
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