Saddam Hussein to be hanged till death

Baghdad, Nov 5: A US-backed Iraqi court today sentenced toppled leader Saddam Hussein to death by hanging for crimes against humanity.

The ousted president, visibly shaken, shouted out ''Allahu Akbar!'' (God is Greatest) and ''Long live the nation!''.

The Iraqi High Tribunal also handed down death sentences to former revolutionary chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bander and Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti. Former Iraqi vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan was sentenced to life in prison.

The charges stemmed from the killing of 148 Shi'ite men in Dujail after an assassination attempt against Saddam in 1982.

A death sentence or life imprisonment generates an automatic appeal, delaying any execution by months at least. Saddam has said he wants to face a military firing squad, not the hangman.

Reuters

Rewlated Stories