NBC: Saddam to be hanged by Sunday
Ex-dictator’s execution expected to be carried out by start of Eid holiday

NBC News and news services
Updated: 6:47 p.m. ET Dec 28, 2006

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, sentenced to death for his role in 148 killings in 1982, will have his sentence carried out by Sunday, NBC News reported Thursday. According to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, Saddam will be hanged before the start of the Eid religious holiday, which begins this Sunday.

Saddam’s sentence, handed down last month, ordered that he be hanged within 30 days.

Earlier Thursday, Saddam’s chief lawyer implored world leaders to prevent the United States from handing over the ousted leader to Iraqi authorities for execution, saying the former dictator should enjoy protection from his enemies as a "prisoner of war."

“According to the international conventions it is forbidden to hand a prisoner of war to his adversary,” Saddam’s lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said in Amman, Jordan.

“I urge all the international and legal organizations, the United Nations secretary-general, the Arab League and all the leaders of the world to rapidly prevent the American administration from handing the president to the Iraqi authorities,” he told The Associated Press.

Cardinal Renato Martino, Pope Benedict XVI’s top prelate for justice issues and a former Vatican envoy to the U.N., condemned the death sentence in a newspaper interview published Thursday, saying capital punishment goes against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

After his sentence was given, Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, urged Iraq to ensure a fair appeals process and to refrain from executing Saddam even if the sentence is upheld.

Some international legal observers and human rights groups have also called Saddam’s trial unfair because of alleged interference by the Shiite-dominated government.

Meets with half-brothers

Saddam met with two of his half-brothers on Thursday and passed on personal messages to his family, a lawyer said.

Badie Aref, one of Saddam's lawyers, said the rare meeting with maternal half-brothers Sabawi and Watban Ibrahim Hassanal-Tikriti, who are in U.S. custody, was at the request of the ousted Iraqi leader and took place inside his heavily guarded prison cell in Baghdad.

Aref said Saddam was in very high spirits and had sensed "something was happening relating to the sentence" when prison guards took away a small radio he had been given several months ago.

"He met Sabawi and Watban and gave them letters to his family in anticipation.... He is clearly unaware of the details of what is happening around him and prepared to give his life as a martyr to his country," Aref told Reuters by telephone.

Aref said prison sources who told him of the family meeting said Saddam was aware of an appeals court decision to uphold his death sentence for crimes against humanity during his 24-year rule.

"He was in very high spirits and clearly readying himself," Aref said during a visit to Dubai.

"He told them that he was happy he would meet his death at the hands of his enemies and be a martyr and not just languish in prison in oblivion."

Aref said he was unsure if Saddam's third half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, who was sentenced to death along with the ousted leader, saw Saddam.

Fears that handover may spark violence

An official close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that Saddam would remain in a U.S. military prison until he is handed over to Iraqi authorities on the day of his execution. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the media.

A top government official disputed the court’s ruling that Saddam must be hanged within 30 days, saying the execution should be held after that time period. The comment comes amid debate over other legal procedures such as whether the presidency is required to approve the execution.

This breaking news story will be updated.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive NBC News, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

cool! hopefully Al Jazeera will be airing this- just hope it doesn't coincide with the UFC PPV event Saturday given the time differece. if not I can set the tivo or settle for youtube. he was going to interfere with the 2007 deadpool anyhow. get out of the way before the stroke of midnight on new years.

He'll die a matyr.

USA!!

old news, perhqps, but...

I think the crime he got sentenced for was slaughtering people who took an attempt on his life. The gassing of the Kurds was more an act of war against the Iranian/Kurd Alliance.

Interesting news out of Iraq yesterday. US Special Forces captured Iranian Military near Baghdad.

this is such BS. Did we not team up with Stalin to fight Hitler, only to hate Stalin after we got rid of Hitler? yes. So we sided with Iraq when they were fighting an Islamist Theocracy who were more of an enemy at the time we backed Iraq. Big Deal.

We've also been an ally to Iran and others.

..and... GAME ON!

yeah and we once fought a few wars against England back in the day and now they are our ally. who gives a a shit.

I can't remember what country it is. One of the countries north of Afghanistan. Kazastan or one of the others. The CIA does their Afghan operations out of one of those countries and they have brutal dictators. But they cooperate with us becauese they hate theTaliban.

Oh yeah and we trained the Taliban and aided them in the Russian/Afhgan War.

Remember Rambo 3?

um, bullshit is as bullshit does?
just sayin', the US installed the guy... maybe i'm oversimplifying, but it has to count for something...

We installed the Shah of Iran, and he got ousted by students. We supported Saddam. We supported *elements* of what became the Taliban, though they overthrew the government he had installed in Afghanistan.

Pretty much the only place in the world with a government the people hate that was installed by a non-US superpower is Cuba. The rest of 'em? They're basically our creations.

hmmm, I thought the CIA help ovethrow Qassim because he was tied to Stalin and Soviets (the U.S.'s clear cut # 1 enemy at the time) and they CIA put Arif in power. and then some other guy ovethrew Afrif which eventually led to Saddam gaining power. if this is the U.S installing Saddam that seems pretty far fetched to me. But maybe I'm over simplifying as well. anyhow, I'll join in the fray tomorrow if this thread is still going.

Good news...gives Satan the chance to throw a few more logs on the fire in anticipation.

No he won't.

Show me the crowds of people wringing their hands and crying about this.

Iranian-Kurd Alliance?? Do tell??

"Oversimplifying" is putting it mildly.

don't die pappy.

Cough*northkorea*cough

Aw shit, good call.

Judge: Saddam to be executed by Saturday
December 29, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq --Saddam Hussein will be executed no later than Saturday, said an Iraqi judge authorized to attend his hanging, while the former dictator's lawyers said he had been transferred from U.S. custody.

The physical hand-over of Saddam to Iraqi authorities was believed to be one of the last steps before he was to be hanged, although the lawyers' statement did not specifically say Saddam was in Iraqi hands.

"A few minutes ago we received correspondence from the Americans saying that President Saddam Hussein is no longer under the control of U.S. forces," according to the statement faxed to The Associated Press.

Munir Haddad, a judge on the appeals court that upheld Saddam's death sentence, said he was ready to attend the execution.

"All the measures have been done," Haddad said. "There is no reason for delays."

In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has signed Saddam's death sentence, a government official said. The official, who refused to be identified by name because he was not authorized to release the information, said that Iraqi authorities were not yet in control of Saddam.

"We will get him when the execution is going to be carried out," said the official, who refused to give other details.

The discrepancy could not be explained.

The defense team statement called on "everybody to do everything to stop this unfair execution."

Hmmm... What a way to say Happy New Year!

Another extremely dangerous foreign policy precedent, courtesy of our Idiot-in-chief.

it's about being a hypocrite.

The Castro regime installed itself, and only started picking up non-US superpower funding thereafter.