On November 5, 2006, Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against humanity. The Iraqi High Criminal Tribunal in Baghdad finds him guilty of the repression of residents of the Shiite town of Dujail following an assassination attempt against him in 1982.
The Dujail trial
On July 8, 1982, gunmen fire on Hussein’s convoy as he passes through Dujail, north of Baghdad. Mass arrests and repression begin after the attack. According to the prosecution, 148 men and boys from the town are sentenced and executed, while other residents are subjected to imprisonment, torture and forced displacement.
The trial begins on October 19, 2005, and lasts for more than a year. Hussein denies the charges and challenges the court’s authority. The proceedings are marked by changes of judges, the removal of defense lawyers and the killings of three attorneys associated with the defendants.
The reaction in the courtroom
After the verdict is read, Hussein initially refuses to stand. He then shouts: “Long live the people! Down with the traitors!” In the same trial, his half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, a former head of Iraqi intelligence, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, who headed the Revolutionary Court, are also sentenced to death.
Three of the remaining defendants receive 15-year prison sentences, one is sentenced to life in prison, and one is acquitted. Hussein’s sentence is subject to automatic appeal, while Iraqi law provides for the death penalty to be carried out within 30 days of its confirmation.
The controversy surrounding the trial
Amnesty International states that the trial was deeply flawed and unfair. The organization points to problems with the independence of the court, the defense and the way the proceedings were conducted. Human Rights Watch also draws attention to procedural violations, including the delayed provision of the written reasoning behind the verdict.
The verdict is upheld by the appellate panel on December 26, 2006. Four days later, on December 30, Saddam Hussein is hanged in Baghdad. Thus, the Dujail trial ends with the execution of the first death sentence against the former Iraqi president, while separate proceedings against him are still underway, including over the “Anfal” campaign against the Kurdish population.
Sources: abcnews.com, theguardian.com, aljazeera.com