Iraq prepares for rapid execution

Saddam Hussein’s death sentence will be quickly sent to the Iraqi presidency for approval while the prison service prepares his execution, Justice Minister Hashem al-Shibli said on Wednesday.

The process will get underway rapidly, he said, but the formality of hanging the ousted dictator could be delayed by the onset of the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, which is due to start at the end of the week.

“There will be no amnesty in this case. Once we get the decree, we shall prepare to take action,” Shibli said, adding however: “You know there’ll be the Eid. It could take some time because of the holiday.”

“The decree passed by the court of appeal shall be passed to the presidency and a presidential decree shall be sent to the General Prisons Directorate for the purpose of implementing the death sentence,” he said. Saddam and two officials of his regime were convicted of crimes against humanity on November 5, after a court heard they ordered the deaths of 148 Shiite men from the village of Dujail in an act of collective punishment.