News / Politics
Reporters Shown Execution of Saddam Hussein’s Co-Defendants
From the same gallows upon which Saddam Hussein met his fate, two co-defendants in the trial surrounding the killings of 148 Shiite’s in the northern city of Dujail were executed.
Saddam Hussein’s half brother and intelligence chief, Barzan Ibrahim, and head of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court, Anwad Hamed al-Bandar, were hanged for their roles in the massacre that took place in 1982.
Facing backlash for the manner in which the Saddam Hussein execution was handled, the Iraqi government ensured that the hanging of the two defendants was carried out in a neutral fashion.
As Ibrahim and al-Bandar reached the gallows, black hoods were placed over their heads and the rope was secured around their necks. The official video then shows the two men slip through the floor and al-Badar can be seen hanging, lifeless, from the rope. Below the gallows a more graphic scene of Ibrahim’s body, chest down while his severed head lay a few yards away.
According to Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh the gallows had met international standards. The official video will not be released for public viewing but was shown to reporters as evidence that the executions were carried out in what al-Dabbagh called “a neutral way.”
The hangings took place two-weeks and two-days after the Dec. 30 Saddam Hussein execution in which guards and officials jeered and taunted the former dictator moments before his death. The Iraqi government was strongly criticized for its handling of the situation and was held responsible for the Saddam Hussein execution video that had been recorded by an official.
Days after the execution video of Saddam Hussein’s hanging made its way to the internet a new video of three men recording the dead leader’s body on a hospital gurney surfaced. It showed graphic images of wounds to the neck and check of Hussein.
The execution video of Saddam Hussein can be seen at:
http://www.finditt.com/vs/view_video.php?viewkey=5513206b999ec0d90d1f
The video of Saddam Hussein’s corpse can be seen at:
http://www.finditt.com/vs/view_video.php?viewkey=d9607ee5a9d336962c53
