Hangman
If Saddam Hussein’s mood in the final moments of his life was to be summed up with one word only, the most fitting would surely be defiant.
Not a note of remorse, Saddam refused to wear a hood to cover his face, some of his last words were: “I started my life as a fighter and political militant, so death does not frighten me”.
Perhaps it is not surprising that a brutal dictator who spent his whole life torturing and killing others did not appear afraid. What was surprising for me was that this apparent calm acceptance and defiance by Saddam in the face of his death was happily broadcast worldwide. This was undoubtedly some of the most extraordinary television footage of all time. However, if there were ever concerns that this type of punishment would make a martyr out of this terrible man, the fact that Saddam’s final act of defiance, his refusal to have a hood cover his head, were blasted around the world on every TV channel and on the front cover of every newspaper reinforced these. Was this awful voyeurism really necessary or sensible?
This killing is bound to heighten short term violence, the very same day as Saddam’s hanging, more than 70 Iraqis died in car bombings. Yesterday, hundreds of the former dictator’s supporters took to the streets in protest.
At least the new Iraqi government can be credited for an effective, legitimate and swift trial, although not entirely exhaustive, this is the strongest sign of change in Iraq.
Unfortunately, the image of Saddam that will go down in history will be that execution footage, the former dictator dressed in his finest, exclaiming: “we’re going to heaven and our enemies will rot in hell”, defiant to the last as he refused to have his head covered. What was he given in his final moments? No less than a stage in front of a worldwide audience.
In my opinion this grave mistake gave Saddam the ultimate last request, an opportunity to launch himself as a martyr and hero in a facilitated appeal to his supporters worldwide.
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I agree, Saddam was true to his brand values in being a defiant fighter to the end, and this is the reputation he would wish for eternity. Similarly, throughout the trial he appeared smart and true to himself. Others might regret the abiding image of him isn’t the dirty coward in hiding.
Before i rattle off my tuppence-worth, apologies if it is a little confused or ill-thought out; i am in the middle of some media monitoring and my brain is in anothe rplace.
For the record – i think the video shouldn’t have been shown, Saddam shouldn’t have been hanged and the death penalty is patently wrong. That being said, Saddam was brought to justice under the Iraqi system and not the American which we should be grateful for and is a strong political and diplomatic move.
Video footage of the execution was an unnecessary but inevitable result of the state of modern morality and general morbid fascination. Many in the western world were baying for Saddam’s blood and to see the footage would quell any doubts of a cover-up or falsification of actions.
I think we generally like to think of ourselves as morally grounded individuals but how many of us slow down or crane our necks to see what is going on at an accident on the motorway? The strange demand from people to see the death of the late Australian naturalist, Steve Irwin is indicative of our fascination with life, death and the finality of things.
Personally – i think that seeing the footage will have little effect on the future political landscape in Iraq. If the footage wasn’t seen, Saddam would still be a martyr to his followers, regardless. The fact that he was seen, defiant, is probably irrelevant. I suggest that many among us are less concerned with the fact that the video was shown, and more irritated by the fact that he was not more scared or quaking at the inevitability of his predicament.
In reality – it isn’t surprising that he was defiant and steadfast – the final stages of someone going to their death are commonly recorded as defiance and acceptance. Saddams behaviour and attitude is nothing if not predictable.
I agree it is in poor taste and the death penalty is at odds with the basic tenets of justice in a modern world. I also agree it would probably have been wise for it not to have been shown and that there is potential for backlash. However, i don’t think it’s impact is worth giving too much credit to. Any backlash would’ve come regardless and i think this will do little to further engender Iraqis loyal to Saddam with any greater sense of hatred for the ‘infidels’ than they had prior to his execution.
Thoughts of the egyptian president:
Link
He doesn’t agree with it either and thinks choosing to hang him on the first day of Eid al-Adha was “unthinkable”. Wisely, he chooses not to comment on whether the sentence passed was correct, nor whether the court was lawful under occupation.
He does think Saddam will become a martyr now.
But he was always going to! – whether or not he was taunted and then hanged. Admittedly, taunting someone about to be executed is incredibly reprehensible and should be condemned, but i maintain that this is unlikely to make any repurcussions worse.
I still find it shocking that YouTube haven’t pulled the video (plenty of copies up there). Would this video still be up there if YouTube was a UK company? I doubt it…
Hey Justin – I agree it’s shocking that such a thing can happen in supposedly modern, evolved and democratic society, but it doesn’t shock me that it can still be seen online.
I think it’s probably a simple case of supply and (morbid) demand. Sadly, there are too many people who would like to see this thing and as hard as YouTube and other web based video server companies (may say they) are trying to keep it off – people will find a way to get it online.
One also has to consider the mercenary benefit of having such a sought after video available to view – the attention garnered through publicity (both negative and positive) cannot be quantified but is surely quite the boon to any company willing to let money override morality…
Incidentally – nice piece on the IPhone…gotta get me one of these!
principles and ethics, something that YouTube seem not to posses.
i actually am not anti the hanging of Saddam, i think it was probably more than he deserved. I’m anti companies showing his demise in the western world. Yes, if people wanted it they’d find it, but this isn’t (and shouldn’t be) about the freedom of information. YouTube carrying the video to me is ludicrous. The content is distasteful, disrespectful, unsuitable and highly political. Let YouTube be the home of cats using toilets, teen karaoke and amateur jackass – leave the politics and world affairs to the experts.
I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of whether i think Saddam Hussein should have been hanged. All i’d say is what i said originally – i agree and am happy with the fact that he was brought before an Iraqi court rather than an American or British one since this is both the ‘right’ and ‘diplomatically right’ thing to be done.
That being said, i’m in complete agreement with you that there should be some limits to ‘freedom of information’ and whilst the idea of people making informed decisions about what to watch and what not to, someone, too young to understand the greater implications of what they are seeing, could easily stumble across such a video.
Sadly, as i said before, it’s a grim reality that currently, there are too many people who would like to see this video for some companies to resist showing it or (negligently?) allowing it to be shown.
I agree it is completely shocking that the video is still available on youtube, however, if not there then people would find it elsewhere. More shocking I find is that someone was able to film it so blatantly. I would have imagined that mobiles would have been banned, however, the perpetrator seemed blatant in his filming and seemingly went un-challenged.
It is a great shame that the Iraqi government’s effective and legitimate trial of Saddam has been marred by its failure to deal with the dictator’s execution in a professional and dignified way. The awful mobile phone images are the worst example of this, how these close up images were able to be obtained demands immediate transparent and thorough investigation.