Saddam Hussein trial

Windwalker

I'm sure this is going to stir up a lot of controversy, but what are your views on this subject? Can the death penalty ever be justified, even for genocidal mass murderers? Can we intervene if the Iraqi court does pass the death penalty? Can Saddam still call himself the 'legitimate' ruler of Iraq? Does the court have any authority? Should the trial be held in the Hague instead? Is this any different to the Nuremburg trials of Nazi leaders?

Don't want to go over the rights/wrongs of US and coalition getting involved in Iraq because I'm sure that's been debated to death many times so please just stick to the issue of the trial and its consequences.

Thanks.

twobitbob

i can't see how you can say it's wrong to kill and then go and kill someone - surely you're just becoming like them, killing someone because you don't agree with them.
i think if we intervene in Iraqi courts we're denying them exactly what we say we're giving them - freedom to govern themselves. Not sure about the legitamacy of the court but it's gotta be better han the Hague which might be used by terrorists for their latest recruitment drive.

In theory if Iraqis spontaniously and freely elected Saddam we should have no problems with this since Democracy is what we wanted to give them.

Abraham

All I will say is that this trial needs to be seen to have been conducted properly. I am not to sure which legal system he is going to be tried under....Iraqi law or US law?...I believe that in theory it should be the law of Iraq. The problem is, how robust is this system and how just?

I want him to receive a fair trial as is the right of any other Human being. should he be found guilty then what punishment should he receive?.....I don't believe that putting him to death is right as I believe enough people have already died!

Saddham still claims to be the legitimate ruler of Iraq and was only deposed by a foreign invasion.....this is going to be one very interesting trial!

Jason

Windwalker,

Anything can be 'justified' to a mind that is defined, and encompassed by greed, hatred, and delusion. That is why the Buddha set out to eradicate these defilements, and strip away our 'obession of views'. It is only through these things that one can 'justify' killing their fellow man.

Jason

comicallyinsane

It will be interesting to see. I have always said it's not our place to kill a person.

Windwalker

I'm not saying that I would pull the trigger on him myself but what else can you do with someone who has murdered thousands and threatened many more? The relatives of those he killed deserve justice and may not feel they have got it if he is allowed to live. If they do execute him then I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Saddam may claim to be the legitimate ruler of Iraq but he only got to be president through murder and oppression. Why aren't they charging him with treason against the Iraqi people?

Windwalker

BTW, I personally would like to just dump him on some remote island where he would have time to reflect on his crimes and rot.

twobitbob

That's the annoying thing about not believing in Hell - all those people you think deserve to burn in there won't be going there.

ajani_mgo

I'd not want to see him die for sure. I believe people who most put on a "MUST-DIE" status should be given the chance to live properly, then hopefully they might put their brains back on the "relatively correct" path and even prevent themselves rebirth in a lower realm!

Simonthepilgrim

I think that exile on a small island is an excellent solution, just as we did with Napoleon Bonaparte, another mass-murderer. Judicial muder by execution is simply revenge which brings no peace in the end.

Possibly a small island in the Arctic would be ideal!

buddhafoot

I just worry about a couple of things...

If he is executed - or if he is imprisoned for his life - is he going to have any groups or people that start sympathizing with his plight? As in making a martyr out of him?

I don't believe Justice can be served because of awful things that took place during his reign. I honestly don't know what to do - but he shouldn't be given the chance to ever rise to power or inflict the suffering on people (again) that he is accused of.

-bf

ajani_mgo

Ah! From what I learnt in history, after the Tsar fell in Russia, there were still groups supporting him! So why not?

Well exile, I'd say, the best thing to do! Yes, nothing short of exile will cut the person off harm, yet learn some new stuff! But who will take him???

Simonthepilgrim

There are still Saddamists, of course. And we should not close our eyes to the fact that the Ba'ath Party was not solely Iraqi: Syria has a Ba'athist regime. The politics of the party, secular and dictatorial, have real influence in the whole region.

One of the dangers of the Saddam trial is that, in targeting this individual, we fall again into the cult of personality against which the Great Helmsman warned. It is one of our besetting geo-political sins that we appear to be ready to demonise or sanctify individuals, forgetting that they are neither

Windwalker

Interesting point Simon. But if we can make an example of this one individual then it might serve as warning to others like him.

I've heard a lot of criticism of the movie Downfall which is accused of showing Hitler as a human being rather than the monster that many believe him to be. You're right - if we don't accept that he was human then we deny that there will be others. During the Jack the Ripper killings many thought the killer must be a foreigner because 'no Englishman would commit such brutal deeds'. Saddam, Hitler and others reflect a side of human nature that we would prefer didn't exist and so we demonise them to disassociate ourselves.