Saddam Sentenced to Hang: Justice for Dujail Massacre
An Iraqi tribunal sentenced Saddam Hussein to death by hanging on November 5, 2006, for ordering the massacre of 148 Shi'a Muslims in the town of Dujail in 1982. The killings had followed an assassination attempt on Saddam's motorcade. His security forces rounded up hundreds of men and boys, many of whom were tortured and executed. The trial lasted over a year and was marked by the assassination of two defense lawyers and the resignation of the chief judge. Saddam was defiant throughout, calling the court illegitimate. He was executed on December 30, 2006. The execution was filmed on a cell phone, and the video, showing guards taunting him, was leaked worldwide. The trial was criticized by international observers for procedural flaws, but it represented the first time an Arab head of state was tried by his own people.
November 5, 2006
20 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Iraq
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Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
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Saddam Hussein
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Awad Hamed al-Bandar
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1982
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Trial of Saddam Hussein
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Saddam Hussein
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Iraq
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Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
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Awad Hamed al-Bandar
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Trial of Saddam Hussein
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Dujail massacre
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Horca
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Capital punishment
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