Iraq Special Tribunal Sentences Saddam Hussein to Death

On November 5, 2006, an Iraqi special tribunal sentenced Saddam Hussein and two senior members of his regime to death for the collective punishment of the Shia village of Dujail following a failed 1982 attempt to assassinate Hussein. The case against Hussein centered on the execution of 148 men and boys from Dujail following an attempt to shoot Hussein in a nearby orchard on July 8, 1982. At trial, Saddam’s counsel argued that the would-be assassins were Iranian-backed Shiite militants and the crackdown was justified because Iraq was at war with Iran at the time...[more]