The Iraq War
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Saddam Hussein Executed
Dec. 30, 2006

     On November 5, 2006, Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, was found guilty of crimes against humanity by Iraq’s High Tribunal. He was sentenced to death by hanging for the 1982 massacre of 148 Shiites in the city of Dujail, which he ordered as retaliation against an assassination attempt against him. On December 30, 2006, he was executed.
            The execution occurred inside the Iraqi-American military base Camp Justice, situated in a north-eastern district of Baghdad called Kazimain. Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Camp Justice was used by Saddam as his military intelligence headquarters. Then known as Camp Banzai, Iraqi civilians were taken there to be tortured and executed on the same gallows that Saddam was executed on.
            Saddam, who was Sunni, was executed on the first day of the Sunni celebration of Eid al-Adha. Several reports say the Saddam was “submissive” in the execution proceedings and that he was hanged in front of a cheering and jeering crowd. He responded to the taunts by shouting things like “down with the invaders.” Al-Rubiae, who was a witness to Saddam’s execution, asked Saddam if he had any remorse or fear, to which Saddam replied: “No, I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid.” Saddam’s body was taken to the Prime Minister’s office immediately after the execution to be viewed by some of the family members of Saddam’s victims. The next day, on December 31, 2006, Saddam was buried in his birthplace of Al-Awja in Tikrit, Iraq, near his family members.
            Saddam’s execution generated a mixture of reactions. Hundreds of Shiites in Sadr City reportedly danced in the streets, while Sunni loyalists all across Iraq lamented his death. However, there was a general reaction of criticism and controversy over the unprofessional and degrading manner of Saddam’s execution, from nations that both oppose and support capital punishment. Nevertheless, Saddam’s execution marked the end to an era of darkness in Iraq’s history, but not the end to violence in Iraq. President Bush had this to say on the matter: “When it came to execute him, it looked like it was kind of a revenge killing. And it sent a mixed signal to the American people and the people around the world. And it just goes to show that this a government that has still got some maturation to do.”