The mixed Iraqi response to Saddam Hussein's death sentence bodes ill for the war-torn country, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti from Baghdad With a knock from the gavel of Judge Raouf Rashid Abdul-Rahman, the trial of Saddam Hussein ended in death sentences for the former president and two of his top aides. But it is doubtful whether the sentences would bring peace to the country or further turmoil. On the day before the sentencing, Al-Basra website, believed to be a mouthpiece for Saddam's disbanded Baath Party, issued a stern warning, declaiming, "the companions of the leader have completed their preparations and taken all necessary precautions to blow up the land like volcanoes under the feet of the occupation forces and their insignificant agents." The website called on "the companions of the leader to remain at the highest states of alertness to implement the orders and carry out the people's sentence on the traitors, the agents, and their occupying masters... in the event a ruling was passed against the leader and his heroic colleagues." Copies from the statement were circulated via e-mail and some were handed out in the streets of Iraq. On Sunday morning, the day on which the sentence was passed, most Iraqi cities were under curfew. Hours before the sentence was passed, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki told the Iraqis to "celebrate quietly, each in his own way". The country's official television, Al-Iraqiya, screened interviews and songs, all in support of the death sentence. But the violence continued. Al-Azamiya was shelled with mortars on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The shelling targeted the area surrounding the mosque of Imam Abu Hanifa, a leading Sunni figure. The Iraqi Islamic Party issued a statement denouncing the shelling, saying that dozens were killed and wounded in the attacks. Iraqis were in two minds about the sentence. Salaheddin television, broadcasting from Tikrit, received phone calls from individuals lauding Saddam and calling him a national hero. Al-Zawraa television, owned by former parliamentarian Mishaan Al-Jabburi, denounced the sentence. Al-Jabburi had lost his parliamentary immunity and is due to stand trial on charges of corruption, although interestingly, he used to be a strong supporter of the US invasion and a fierce critic of Saddam. Al-Forat television of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and Beladi television of Al-Dawa Party were jubilant over the sentence. Other televisions in the country took a neutral stance. The government has ordered Salaheddin and Al-Zawraa television shut, accusing them of fomenting sedition. The public was divided. In some towns, including Al-Sadr, Al-Shoala, Karbala, and Al-Najaf, people took to the streets to show their jubilation. In others, including Tikrit, Al-Dour, Baquba, and Al-Hella, pro-Saddam demonstrations were held. In the court, Judge Abdul-Rahman seemed in a hurry to conclude the proceedings. He expelled former US attorney-general Ramsey Clark when the latter presented a memorandum that Abdul-Rahman deemed "offensive to the Iraqi people". Saddam's defence team tried to postpone the hearing, so that President Bush wouldn't use the sentence to bolster his standing in the mid-term elections. But the court was eager to proceed with the sentencing. Saddam, who had insisted that he was entitled to death by a firing squad "being a military man", reacted with defiance to the sentence of death by hanging. He shouted "long live Iraq, long live the great nation, down with the invaders", and accused the court of passing on US orders. In a press conference following the sentencing, Judge Raed Gouhi and Public Attorney Jaafar Al-Musawi said the defendants and their lawyers can appeal within 30 days. A senior member of the Iraqi Lawyers Association, who asked for his name to be withheld, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Prime Minister Al-Maliki violated the constitution when he changed the judges in the middle of the trial. He added that the court was illegal, because it was formed by orders from Paul Bremer, the civilian administrator of Iraq. It was a political charade, he remarked. Abu Hassan Ali, a former army officer, said the International Criminal Court should try President Bush for invading Iraq on false pretences and causing the death of 600,000 Iraqis. "These are all crimes against humanity and crimes of war." Ali said Saddam deserves to be tried for the destruction he brought against Iraq, not over the Dujail incident, where he was reacting to an assassination attempt. Badriya Kazem, whose three sons were executed in the 1980s, said the ruling was just and her children could now rest in piece. US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad voiced his satisfaction, describing the day of the ruling as "a historic day for Iraq". But some in Iraq still don't believe that Saddam would be executed. Political analyst Aziz Al-Hudeithi said the ruling may not be carried out, but would be used as a means to pressure Baathist supporters into laying down their arms. Other analysts said the ruling made it more likely for the violence to get worse.
