# Should Saddam be executed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 14, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936 "2003-12-14T12:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/1 "2003-12-14T12:17:05Z")
Though I don’t subscribe to the concept of “evil”, this man is, shall we say, “very very bad”. I do not subscribe to capital punishment. So what should be done with him? I do not think he should be tried exclusively by the US. Should he be tried by the new Iraqi regime? By the International War Crimes tribunal? Personally I favour the Rudolf Hess version of punishment. I maintain that Hess’s miserable existence was a far greater anti-Nazi statement to the world than any of the Nuremberg executions. Let Saddam be tried for his crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison. Do not reduce the West to his level. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/2 "2003-12-14T12:30:24Z")
Iraqis will try him and decide if the death penalty is appropriate. For political reasons we really need the Iraqis to be satisfied with whatever happens. I think they’d probably lynch Bremer if Saddam was turned over to the Hague. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/3 "2003-12-14T12:31:29Z")
Also, didn’t Hess remain a popular figurehead for Neo-Nazis for quite some time? ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/4 "2003-12-14T12:39:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adaher \* > \*\*Iraqis will try him and decide if the death penalty is appropriate. For political reasons we really need the Iraqis to be satisfied with whatever happens. I think they’d probably lynch Bremer if Saddam was turned over to the Hague. \*\* The Iraqis don’t have a government or a set of laws of their own, so this would be a bit problematical at this stage. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/5 "2003-12-14T12:42:32Z")
They do have a functioning judiciary, but I think the US is going to wait until Iraqis have an elected government to try him. In the meantime, he will be held and questioned. According to early reports, he’s already singing like a canary. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/6 "2003-12-14T12:54:37Z")
[Iraqi Governing Council Establishes Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity](http://www.cpa-iraq.org/audio/20031210_Dec10_Special_Tribunal.htm) (Dec 10, 03) > [@](#): > > a) A Tribunal is hereby established and shall be known as the “Iraqi Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity” (the “Tribunal”).\_ The jurisdiction and functioning of the Tribunal and its associated bodies as defined in Article 3(b) below shall be governed by the provisions of this Statute.\_ The Tribunal shall be an independent entity and not associated with any Iraqi government departments. > > b) The Tribunal shall have jurisdiction over any Iraqi national or resident of Iraq accused of the crimes listed in Articles 11 to 14 below, committed since July 17, 1968 and up until and including May 1, 2003, in the territory of the Republic of Iraq or elsewhere, including crimes committed in connection with Iraq’s wars against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Kuwait.\_ This includes jurisdiction over crimes listed in Articles 12 and 13 committed against the people of Iraq (including its Arabs, Kurds, Turcomans, Assyrians and other ethnic groups, and its Shi’ites and Sunnis) whether or not committed in armed conflict. > > c) **The Tribunal shall only have jurisdiction over natural persons**. So unless Saddam is a demon or a squirrel-monkey in disguise, the Iraqi’s have got the situation well in hand. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/7 "2003-12-14T13:26:04Z")
I don’t see why we _shouldn’t_ execute him… …I mean, it’s not like there’s any doubt that _he’s_ commited crimes. It’s not like he’s just a poor slum dweller who’d just be convicted because he couldn’t afford a good lawyer to get him off. And besides, do you know how much it would cost to keep him _alive_ for the rest of his life? Probably tens of thousands per year…and it’s not like he could be rehabilitated, or that he’d be doing anything productive.\* It’d just be wasted money, money that would have been better used to help the Iraqi people. Send him back to Iblis, sez I. \*Maybe if you chained him to a wheel in a gristmill, and made him turn it in place till he died. That might work. But ONLY if you could whip him, too. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/8 "2003-12-14T13:30:05Z")
It looks like the trial will be in Iraq, under Iraqi Islamic law. Which is exactly how it should be, his crimes were far more against the Iraqi people that anyone else. To move him anywhere else would be the action of a conquering, occupying force rather than a liberator. Informed opinion reckons that the death penalty is pretty much a certainty. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/9 "2003-12-14T13:32:21Z")
As far as I know, Saddam has done nothing meriting a parking ticket – let alone death - to the US or the UK, so I’d probably think it’s not for the winners in this war of aggression to determine appropriate out punishment(s). How about a re-constituted (by Iraqi’s) Iraq decide and we keep the hell out of it ? ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/10 "2003-12-14T13:44:37Z")
Nah, give him a bus ticket to northern Iraq. Ket the Kurds deal with him. ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/11 "2003-12-14T13:46:00Z")
ket is kurdish for let 😉 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/12 "2003-12-14T14:08:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*By the International War Crimes tribunal? > > \*\* The tribunal wouldn’t have juridiction for the overwhelming majority of the crimes commited by Saddam Hussein since : 1. They were committed before the treaty (recently) went in effect and only crimes commited after this date can be prosecuted 2)Most crimes were committed on Iraki soil by Iraki citizens upon other Iraki citizens, and Irak isn’t a signatory of the treaty. So, except in the odd case of a war crime commited recently and involving a victim who would hapen to be citizen of a signatory country (say a british soldier during the war, a US soldier wouldn’t do since the US isn’t a signatory, either), the International Court would be out of the picture. And even in this odd case, the court could try the criminal only if Irak itself choose not to prosecute him. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/13 "2003-12-14T15:25:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*And besides, do you know how much it would cost to keep him _alive_ for the rest of his life? \*\* Who cares?! That is such an insignificant concern for a matter this huge. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/14 "2003-12-14T15:35:28Z")
While I’ve always supported capital punishment in theory, I’ve had hesitancy about it in practice due to the vagaries of huumans involved in it’s administration. In this case, I strongly suspect that there’s ample evidence and ample scrutiny of the process available to insure the justness of the implementation of capital punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/15 "2003-12-14T15:41:16Z")
> [@](#): > > As far as I know, Saddam has done nothing meriting a parking ticket – let alone death - to the US or the UK, so I’d probably think it’s not for the winners in this war of aggression to determine appropriate out punishment(s). **London** - you are kidding right? Or you don’t believe the accounts of the 400K graves that have already been found? Of course…Saddam is a veritable Angel! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/16 "2003-12-14T15:49:02Z")
If he had died in the cellar, none of these options would have any relevance at all. I believe the fact that he was captured alive is going to haunt us in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/17 "2003-12-14T15:49:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\ ***London** - you are kidding right? Or you don’t believe the accounts of the 400K graves that have already been found? Of course…Saddam is a veritable Angel! \*\* So, what did Hussein do **to the US or UK** that deserves a parking ticket or more? It seems you missed that part of **london** ’s comment. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/18 "2003-12-14T15:54:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SimonX \* > **So, what did Hussein do to the US or UK that deserves a parking ticket or more?** Well hell, why should we prosecute _any_ criminals, _ever_, then? It’s not like they’ve commited crimes against _most_ of the population, let alone the D.A.'s office. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/19 "2003-12-14T15:59:31Z")
phl, I think you should re-read the comment of LC. And by the way: He is absolutely right. As the International War Tribunal: Since the US doesn’t even recognize it and since the US holds Hussein in custody - be it on the territory of the sovereing nation they invaded and hold occupied - this possibility it is out of the picutre on forehand even when it could be seen as one. Speaking for myself and since I’m utterly sceptical about everything the present US government invents, I’m of course utterly curious how the US is going to defend it whenever they would have the mad idea that they could deny the Iraqi people their right to organize the hearings and trial. Such ideas already being represented in the comment of member Ranchot > [@](#): > > I don’t see why **we** shouldn’t execute him… emphasis mine. In the supposition that this member is not an Iraqy citizen, how can the Colonial Idea be better expressed? Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936/20 "2003-12-14T16:20:22Z")
There are more reasons why a trial in an international tribunal won’t fly. No death sentance. I mean we are talking about Pres. Bush here. Do you think anything other than death will satisfy him? After all, this IS the man who tried to kill his dad. Saddam could embarrass him. He might go into detail on all the support he got from Bush the elder before Gulf War I. This would all play out leading up to the elections. It is in Bush the younger’s best interests to keep all this as much under the rug as possible. It might be tricky to suppress this even in an Iraqi trial, but the odds are much better. Bush isn’t going to turn Saddam over to be judged by people who didn’t support the war. I think Bush would have been much happier if Saddam had not been taken alive. Knowing the Bush habit of planning for the best case scenario only, he may not have made any detailed provisions for this. I think the Iraqis will try and execute him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-saddam-be-executed/218936.md?page=2)