Saddam Hussein was hanged at dawn on Saturday. He was sentenced to death for the execution of 148 Shiites in the 1980s. The Prime Minister of Iraq urged supporters of the ex-dictator to join the political process.
Saddam rose calmly to the gallows, he was resolute and courageous, "National Security Advisor Moaffaq al-Roubai told Iraqi television. The execution of the former Iraqi president took place just before 06:00 (04:00 Swiss time). It has sparked mixed reactions around the world.
Source: http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSe ... id=7391252
http://www.lefigaro.fr/images/20061229. ... akien.html
I am amazed at this quick hanging for several reasons (at least these 3):
1) He had not been tried for his other crimes ... (basically it wouldn't have changed anything ... you can't hang someone twice but for the families of the victims it would have been "fair "to make other trials)
2) The time between execution and judgment was extremely short ...
3) Many former dictators were largely protected after their fall for more or less "obscure" reasons (Pinochet, Mobutu ...)
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobutu_Sese_Seko
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Pinochet