Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein

IRAQ. SENTENCING JUDGE CONDEMNS HUSSEIN'S EXECUTION

April 29, 2008: the Iraqi judge who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death condemned the manner in which the notorious dictator was executed. "It was uncivilized and backward," said Chief Judge Raouf Abdul Rahman, who spoke to reporters as they awaited the start of the latest trial of ex-regime members.
The hanging occurred December 30, 2006, when Sunnis began celebrating the religious holiday Eid al-Adha. A video showed Hussein being taunted by Shiites and included bitter exchanges between Hussein and Shiite witnesses.
There were shouts of praise for Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose father was believed to have been murdered by Hussein's regime. After Hussein was hanged, Shiite witnesses danced around his body, chanting celebratory slogans. "In Iraqi law, there are no public executions," Abdul Rahman said.
"Eid is a time of love, tranquility and reconciliation, not a time for executions." (Sources: CNN, 29/04/2008)