IRAQ. UN EXPERT CONDEMNS DEATH PENALTY

June 4, 2008: the United Nations expert on the independence of judges and lawyers condemned the use of the death penalty in Iraq, saying it had denied the international community the opportunity to know those behind the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad nearly five years ago.
UN special rapporteur Leandro Despouy told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Iraq executed Awraz Abdel Aziz Mahmoud Saeed, the last person alleged to have been involved in the August 2003 incident.
Twenty-two UN employees died in the blast, including the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello of Brazil. Mr Despouy condemned the use of the death penalty in Iraq. He said had the death sentence been commuted for this particular case, Saeed could have perhaps helped shed more light on the bombing. (Sources: Reliefweb.int, 04/06/2008)