News: CNN reports that Iraqi officials have detained the security guard who shot video from his cellphone of Saddam Hussein’s hanging. Apparently, several guards taunted Hussein just before he was about to be hanged. According to CNN, the exchange took place as follows:
After Hussein offers prayers, the guards shout praise for Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric whose father is believed to have been murdered by Hussein’s regime.
They chant, “Muqtada! Muqtada! Muqtada!”
Hussein smiles. “Is this how you show your bravery as men?” he asks.
“Straight to hell,” someone shouts back at him.
“Is this the bravery of Arabs?” Hussein asks.
A sole voice is heard trying to silence the taunts.
“Please, I am begging you not to,” the unknown man [the chief prosecutor] says. “The man is being executed.”
Analysis: I thought I could avoid talking about this topic, but the newsworthiness of the issue deserves some comment. I have not watched the execution video, nor do I intend to. But I do find it somewhat ironic for the Iraqi officials now to be worried about how Saddam Hussein was treated on video. After all, the man was about to be hanged by official state sentence. And, at least according to my understanding, Iraqi officials had planned on allowing a release of video of the execution, so people there could witness it (whether as proof of death or sign of atonement). The fact that a guard took his own video on his cell phone, with others and perhaps himself taunting Hussein, might have been improper, but it probably only added insult to injury (the execution). And if atonement is one of the purposes of a public execution, then you might have to expect even some taunting of a man sentenced to die. True, probably not from a security guard, but the new Iraqi government probably hasn’t had that much time to train its security force.
The Pandora’s box was opened when Iraqi officials allowed any video taping of Saddam’s execution in the first place. Once Pandora’s box was opened, it was foreseeable that a guard or bystander might video the execution on his cellphone, or that hundreds of video clips of Hussein’s execution (including some that may be only spoofs) would find their way onto YouTube and other sites. This is probably all I’ll say on the topic, since it’s way beyond my expertise.
January 5, 2007 at 9:21 am |
He took out his cellphone and began videotaping death. That is unfortunate.
January 5, 2007 at 9:43 am |
It’s worth reading “How Saddam Killed the Death Penalty…”
http://paralleldivergence.com/2007/01/05/how-saddam-killed-the-death-penalty/
January 5, 2007 at 7:10 pm |
[...] been put out there. It must be the most searched video on the internet! As I have posted on the Fallout from video of Saddam Hussein’s execution (hanging), “He took out his cellphone and began videotaping death. That is unfortunate.” How [...]
January 11, 2007 at 11:24 am |
at least this viscious dictator will not be coming back later, no matter how he died he is still dead.
He was a pretty nasty piece of work and killed a lot of people in cruel and inhuman ways – and don’t forget tortured people too!
I would think he is lucky not to have been tortured himself before he was executed was a lucky thing or him – an eye for an eye is still a pretty common theme and as I said he did kill a lot of people and took his time in a few too many cases.
If there was someone hoping to get a little revenge on the man for what he did, and there is no denying he did some pretty horrible things to his own people, I don’t think we can say good or bad things about the video.
January 16, 2007 at 7:02 pm |
The author has taken a far too cautious and PC stand on the matter.
February 1, 2007 at 11:42 pm |
Not necessarily. You can not really have an opinion about this thing because you are neither offended nor not offended. You can believe he was a dictator and a horrible man and deserved to die and at the same time think it was wrong for people to taunt him before his death.
March 12, 2007 at 10:03 am |
Now we can see how evil people are executed by another evil.
April 26, 2008 at 2:44 am |
I agree with Ferth. It made me SICK to the bone…
September 27, 2008 at 1:02 am |
Screw that moron, and if I didn’t know any better this Saddam was trying to sound honorable. He should of had a much worse death. For you twisted idiots that think I’m a racist, I’m not. I have a muslim sister. I’m actually a pretty nice guy, but when U.S CITIZENS feel pitty for this terrorist dictator, I just want those people to smack themselves. Peace out:)
November 29, 2008 at 7:00 am |
Feeling pity for evil is evil. That’s why we should not feel guilt over wanting to see Saddam hanged or Bush impeached. Terrorists will get what’s coming to them. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Cheney will be executed one day as well, and when that happens I hope no American will shed a tear for him.