05 November 2006

Hussein Verdict Step Toward Just Society, U.S. Officials Say

U.S. envoy praises Iraqi courage in holding former regime officials accountable

 

President Bush delivers a statement on Saddam Hussein's verdict Sunday, November 5, in Waco, Texas. (©AP Images)

By Howard Cincotta
Washington File Special Correspondent

Washington -- The verdicts handed down by the Iraqi High Tribunal against Saddam Hussein and seven other former regime officials November 5 are a "milestone" in the country's progress toward building a free society based on the rule of law, U.S. officials say.

"History will record today's judgment as an important achievement on the path to a free and just and unified society," President Bush said in a statement released in Waco, Texas, the same day. "The United States is proud to stand with the Iraqi people. We will continue to support Iraq's unity government as it works to bring peace to its great country."

In a statement issued from Baghdad, Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said the verdicts against the individuals "demonstrate the commitment of the Iraqi people to hold them accountable."

Khalilzad praised the courage of all the Iraqi officials who took part in the case:  judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. "Their determination to pursue justice is a signal that the rule of law will prevail in Iraq despite the difficult situation that the country now faces," he said.

In a separate statement from Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the decision "a hopeful reminder to all Iraqis that the rule of law can triumph over the rule of fear and that the peaceful pursuit of justice is preferable to the pursuit of vengeance."

The Iraqi tribunal sentenced Saddam Hussein and two other defendants to death for the 1982 killings of 148 people in the town of Dujail, Iraq, according to news accounts.

The death sentences automatically go to a nine-judge appeals panel, which has unlimited time to review the case, the Associated Press reported.  If the verdicts and sentences are upheld, the executions must be carried out within 30 days.

In addition to Saddam Hussein, those sentenced to death were his half brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the head of Iraq's former Revolutionary Court. Former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Three other defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison for torture and premeditated murder, according to news reports.  One former Baath Party official from the town of Dujail was acquitted.

Saddam Hussein still faces prosecution for the killings of Kurdish civilians, many with poison gas, in the late 1980s. Observers say those proceedings will continue at least until the appeals process for the Dujail conviction is complete.

For additional details, see Bush's statement, Rice's statement and Khalilzad's statement.

For more information on U.S. policies, see Iraq Update.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)