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Saddam executed, Iraq put on alert

      Baghdad: Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hanged at 6.00 am local time (8.30 am IST) this morning. He was in US custody ever since his capture by American troops on December 13, 2003 from a tiny cellar under a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit. An Iraqi court had sentenced Saddam to death on November 5 this year. Prior to the sentencing, a year-long trial was conducted on Saddam for killings of 148 Shias in Dujail village in 1982. Another case relating to the genocide of Kurds was also pending against him. Saddam's hometown Tikrit was placed under curfew in anticipation of an unrest. The US State Department has asked all its embassies around the world to increase security in anticipation of expected violent protests (by Sunnis) and celebrations (by Shias). US and Iraqi troops are on high alert. Violent protests are being reported worldwide. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had demanded that Saddam's execution take place before the end of the year. Saddam's final appeal of celebrating Eid-ul-Zuha, which falls on January 1, was rejected by the court. Iraqi officials said that he would be executed early on Saturday, before the beginning of the Eid festival. Saddam Hussein was taken to the gallows with his hands tied to his back. Government and religious officials, a lawyer and a doctor were present as witnesses, and the execution was filmed to provide proof of his death. According to sources, Saddam was given good food and a cigarette before his execution. The execution took place outside Baghdad's Green Zone at an unspecified location. Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar were also executed. Saddam is survived by his wife Sajida Talfah and daughters Raghad, Rana and Hala. Raghad who lives in Jordan has demanded that his body be buried in Yemen. His sons Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein were both killed in 2003. Born on April 28, 1937, Saddam was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led invasion of Iraq. As the leader of the Iraqi Baath Party, Saddam played a major role in the modernisation of Iraq and in stabilising the country within the Middle East region. He was an integral part of the 1968 coup that brought his party to long-term power. As president, Saddam ran an authoritarian government and maintained power through the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and the Gulf War (1991).

India disappointed over execution Top

      New Delhi: Expressing disappointment over the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, New Delhi today termed the episode unfortunate, and hoped that the execution would not affect the process of restoration of peace in Iraq. In a statement made this morning, Minister of External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee said, "We had already expressed the hope that the execution would not be carried out. We are disappointed that it has been. We hope that this unfortunate event will not affect the process of reconciliation, restoration of peace and normalcy in Iraq." Saddam Hussein was hanged at 6.00 am local time (8.30 am IST) this morning. He was in US custody ever since his capture by American troops on December 13, 2003 from a tiny cellar under a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit. The Indian Government had expressed opposition to Saddam's death sentence. According to External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna, New Delhi was hoping that the sentence would not be carried out and the former President would be spared his life, along with the avoidance of steps which might cause obstruction to the peace process in the country. Security has been beefed up at all American and British establishments here, with extra police force being deployed in the diplomatic enclave in the Chanakyapuri area, according to sources, adding that a vigil was being kept on the embassies of the United States and Britain.

Lucknow Shiaites celebrate, Sunnis protest  Top

      New Delhi/Srinagar/Mumbai/Lucknow: Thousands of Indians across the country, mostly Muslims, took to the streets on Saturday in protest against the execution of Saddam Hussein, accusing US President George W. Bush of murdering him. The protests came as New Delhi, which had friendly relations with Saddam's Iraq, said it was disappointed he was executed but hoped this would not hurt the process of reconciliation and restoration of peace in that country. "India had advised against carrying out this sentence and expressed a hope that the life of the former Iraqi President will be spared, so that the process of normalization and reconciliation in Iraq could be taken forward. Therefore, we term this development as unfortunate and disappointing, but we still do hope that all efforts will be made by the government of Iraq, by the political parties to ensure that the ethnic blood letting and the violence which is taking place, is brought under control and the people of Iraq live in an atmosphere of peace and democracy," said Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma. Many believe the execution might prove counterproductive and breed more violence in Iraq. "The people are going to perceive it not only in Iraq, across West Asia and beyond Asia, especially people who are developing their politics around Islam, they are going to see it differently. It is not going to be a kind of punishment given to dictator, it is going to be seen as a punishment against the person who is championing the cause of Islam in the region," said Girijesh Pant, professor of West Asian studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. In New Delhi, workers of the National Panthers Party held a protest to denounce the execution. The protesters shouted anti-American slogans and burned straw effigies of President Bush. Similar protests were also held in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. "The capital punishment that was awarded to Saddam, we completely condemn it, this was a terrorist activity by United States," said Afaq Khan, senior leader of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party. In Mumbai, workers of Samajwadi Party along with activists of various Muslim organizations, echoed similar sentiments. They said the execution defied justice and was ill-timed. "People are celebrating Eid, reading the celebratory Namaz, sacrificing goats...and today itself they have hanged Saddam at 6 in the morning...America has made a wave of sorrow, a wave of anger run through the entire Muslim world," said Abu Asim Azmi, President of Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra. An execution at the start of Eid is highly symbolic. The feast marks the sacrifice Abraham was prepared to make when God ordered him to kill his son. Shi'ites in northern Lucknow however regarded Saddam's death as a gift from God and distributed sweets amongst themselves. "I congratulate all Muslims as a tyrant was killed by another tyrant, as we consider United States a tyrant too. But it has killed a tyrant who killed thousands of Sunni and also Muslims, therefore we ask people to maintain peace," said Aslam Ansari, member of Shia Hussaini Fund. The city also witnessed protests against the execution. India is home to an estimated 140 million Muslims, the world's third-largest Islamic population after those of Indonesia and neighbouring Pakistan.

      "Eid was being celebrated. During such a time, the hanging should not have taken place. If they had to hang him, if America wanted to execute Saddam, it could have been done so when Saddam was arrested," said Moulvi Abbas Ansari, leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). In Hyderabad, city locals echoed similar sentiments. "The death sentence awarded to him is wrong. In a democracy, it is wrong. He was not given time to meet his relatives. This will divide the Shias and Sunnis in Iraq," said Mohammed Shafi, a local. "No one has the right to, not before Bakrid, not after it. He was elected democratically, and no country has the right to first attack a country then remove its President. When millions have gathered in Saudi Arabia, and when Bakrid is being celebrated in Lucknow and all over, at a time like this...it is a sign of how they do not care about the feelings of the Muslim community," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB),Lucknow. An execution at the start of Eid is highly symbolic. The feast marks the sacrifice the prophet Abraham was prepared to make when God ordered him to kill his son. Many Shi'ites could regard Saddam's death as a gift from God. Such symbolism could further anger Sunnis, who are resentful of the new Shi'ite power. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had demanded that Saddam's execution take place before the end of the year. Saddam's final appeal of celebrating Eid-ul-Zuha, which falls on January 1, was rejected by the court. Iraqi officials said that he would be executed early on Saturday, before the beginning of the Eid festival.

Left takes to streets to protest execution Top

       New Delhi/Kolkata: The Left parties took to the streets across the country today to protest the execution of Saddam Hussein, accusing US President George W Bush of murdering him. Activists belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) raised placards, shouted anti-US slogans and tried to jump over police barricades in New Delhi. "I want to say that if there is a murderer in this world, if in this world there is a killer of innocent people, it is George Bush. He has murdered 650,000 innocent people in Iraq in the last three years...and that's why we believe that only the people of an independent country have the right to decide what should happen to Saddam, but it is intolerable that the nation is a slave of America, and then America hangs a leader from that country," said CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) activists also burned effigies of President Bush. Elsewhere, in Kolkata, thousands of Left activists marched through the city carrying portraits of Saddam, leaving red flags and stopping traffic as they shouted slogans against Bush and the US "occupation of Iraq". Hundreds of Muslims across the country also held protests against the execution. The protests by Muslims and Communists came as New Delhi, which had friendly relations with Saddam's Iraq, said it was disappointed he was executed and hoped this would not hurt the process of reconciliation and restoration of peace in that country. "We hope this unfortunate event will not stand in the way of the process of restoration of normalcy and reconciliation in Iraq," said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Kolkata. India is home to an estimated 140 million Muslims, the world's third-largest Islamic population after those of Indonesia and neighbouring Pakistan.

Pak terms Saddam's execution as sad Top

      Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has termed the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a 'deplorable incident', adding that Pakistan had always wished for a peaceful Iraq where Iraqi people would be given the chance to decide their future. He said Pakistan supported the notion of an organized and united Iraq and still thought on the same lines. "We pray for peace in Iraq and prosperity of its people," The News quoted him as saying. Earlier, the Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said the execution was a "sad event", and expressed hope it would not further exacerbate the security situation in the war torn country. "The execution of former president Saddam Hussein, which can only be described as a sad event, is another poignant reminder of the violence that continues to grip Iraq," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "We hope this event would not further exacerbate the security situation," the statement said. "Pakistan desires peace, stability and reconciliation in Iraq. It remains our earnest hope to see peace, stability and reconciliation so that the people of Iraq regain control of their affairs in a secure environment," the statement added.

Highlights of Saddam Hussein's life Top

      Dubai: During more than two decades as leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein's violent methods and uncompromising stance thrust his country onto the world stage. Following are highlights of his life. Saddam born in 1937 in Tikrit, Central Iraq; Stepfather introduced him to the brutality and bullying, a hallmark of his life; Joined the clandestine Baath Party in 1956; Participated in a failed attempt to assassinate military ruler General Abdul Karim Qassem; Saddam flees Iraq in 1959, spends four years in exile in Cairo; Returns to Iraq in 1963 and rises through the party ranks; Seizes power from Abdul Rahman Mohammed Aref in 1968, emerges as the number two behind General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr; General Bakr shunted aside in July 1979. Saddam begins dictatorship; Launches war against Iran in September 1980. War lasts for eight years and claims a million lives; Saddam strengthens Iraq's military capability with US backing; US ignores Iraq's human rights record and atrocities like the killing of 148 people in Dujail and the gassing of 5,000 Kurdish villagers of Halabja in 1982 and 1988; Saddam strives for regional supremacy from August 1988 onward; Iraqi experts produce special long-range missiles and pursue ambitious nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programmes; Attacks Kuwait in August 1990 and annexes the emirate; Kuwait oilfields set ablaze in 1991; Allied forces led by the US attack Iraq, reducing its infrastructure to ruins; Operation Desert Storm, the subsequent ground assault in January 1991 to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait leaves thousands of Iraqi soldiers dead, wounded or captured; Retreating troops set fire to the country's oil wells, turning day to night and precipitating a vast ecological disaster; Shias in southern Iraq revolt anticipating American help, but the West ditches and Saddam ruthlessly restores his grip; Attacks rebellious Kurds in North Iraq. Millions flee; Western powers impose a no-fly zone in the south, to give some sort of protection to the Shia in 1992-93; Saddam forced to agree to the elimination of all his weapons of mass destruction by the UN; Stringent international sanctions remain in full force in the years after the Gulf War, causing a near-collapse of the Iraqi currency and leading to infighting in the power structure; Saddam's two sons-in-law defect, but both were murdered after being persuaded to return to Iraq; Washington talks openly of "regime change" after George W Bush becomes 46th US President; Iraq named rogue state after September 11, 2001 attack on the US; UN weapons inspectors return to Iraq in November 2002 and resume their search for missiles and stocks of anthrax; Bush expresses suspicion about Saddam building and hiding weapons to dominate the Middle East; Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix reports that Iraq had accelerated its co-operation and there was no evidence of new weapons programme, but the US and UK declared the diplomatic process over; Coalition forces invade Iraq in March 2003, despite not securing a new UN resolution authorising such action; Saddam Hussein's reign brought to a violent end and he disappeared after the fall of Baghdad on April 9, becoming the US military's most wanted fugitive in Iraq; His two sons, Uday and Qusay, killed by US troops in a raid on a house near Mosul, Northern Iraq, on July 22, 2003; Saddam captured in December 2003 near Tikrit; Saddam transferred to the Iraqi authorities on June 30, 2004; Trial opens on July 1, 2004; Saddam challenges legality of proceedings; In July 2005, the tribunal announces the first charges against Saddam Hussein and seven other former regime members for crimes against humanity in Dujail; The case was chosen by prosecutors because they believed it would be the easiest to compile and prosecute; Saddam pleads not guilty when his trial opened in Baghdad on October 19, 2005; His co-defendants included Barzan al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half-brother and former head of Iraq's intelligence service and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former Revolutionary Court chief judge; All three were sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on November 5, 2006 after a year-long trial; Saddam executed 56 days after the passing of the death sentence.