thedrifter
12-28-06, 07:23 AM
Posted on Thu, Dec. 28, 2006
Hussein letter to Iraq: 'Do not hate'
By Christopher Torchia
Associated Press
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to embrace "brotherly coexistence" and not to hate U.S.-led foreign troops, in a goodbye letter posted on a Web site yesterday, a day after Iraq's highest court upheld his death sentence and ordered him hanged within 30 days.
A top government official, meanwhile, said Hussein's execution could proceed without the approval of Iraq's president, meaning there were no more legal obstacles to sending the deposed dictator to the gallows.
One of Hussein's attorneys, Issam Ghazzawi, confirmed to the Associated Press in Jordan that the Internet letter was authentic, saying it was written by Hussein on Nov. 5 - the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal for ordering the 1982 killings of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail.
"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," said the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the AP.
"I also call on you not to hate the people of the other countries that attacked us," it added, referring to the invasion that toppled his regime nearly four years ago.
Against the backdrop of sectarian killings that have dragged Sunni Arabs and Shiite Muslims into civil warfare over the last year, Hussein urged his countrymen to "remember that God has enabled you to become an example of love, forgiveness and brotherly coexistence."
But he also voiced support for the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgency, saying: "Long live jihad and the mujahedeen."
Despite his calls for conciliation among Iraqis, Hussein's legacy is brutal. He put suspected foes to death without trial, oppressed Kurds and Shiites, waged war on Iran, and twice fought U.S.-led armies. He left an impoverished nation now gripped by sectarian bloodshed and an insurgency against the U.S. presence.
Violence struck Baghdad again yesterday, with a car bomb killing eight civilians and wounding 10 near an Iraqi army checkpoint. Four more civilians died in a mortar attack in a Shiite neighborhood, and police found the bodies of 51 apparent victims of sectarian killings.
Questions had arisen about whether the court's ruling needed to be approved by Iraq's presidency, which customarily signs off on death sentences.
Busho Ibrahim, deputy justice minister, said it was not necessary. And a spokesman for President Jalal Talabani acknowledged the argument that the execution could go ahead without ratification by the president, who has expressed opposition to the death penalty.
"Some people believe there is no need for his approval," spokesman Hiwa Osman said. "We still have to hear from the court as to how the procedure can be carried out."
An official from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said, "The government wants Saddam executed as soon as possible." Another official close to Maliki, who also refused to be quoted by name, said the execution would take place before the end of the 30-day period.
Hussein will remain in a U.S. military prison near the airport, Camp Cropper, until the day of the execution, at which point he will be handed over to Iraqi authorities, the official said.
Ghazzawi, the defense lawyer, said the Hussein letter was released Tuesday and published yesterday on the Web site of Hussein's former Baath Party.
The deposed leader said he was writing the letter because his lawyers had told him the Iraqi High Tribunal that tried his case would give him an opportunity to say a final word.
"But that court and its chief judge did not give us the chance to say a word, and issued its verdict without explanation and read out the sentence - dictated by the invaders - without presenting the evidence," Hussein wrote.
"Dear faithful people," he added, "I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God who helps those who take refuge in him and who will never disappoint any honest believer."
Some Hussein loyalists threatened to retaliate if he is executed, warning in a posting on the same Web site that they would target U.S. interests.
The U.S. command reported three American military deaths yesterday, bringing the U.S. death toll for December to 93 in one of the bloodiest months for U.S. troops this year. The high for the year was 106 soldiers and Marines, killed in October, according to an AP count.
Saddam Hussein's Farewell
Following are excerpts from a letter in the name of Saddam Hussein posted on a Web site yesterday, and translated from the Arabic by the Associated Press:
Many of you have known the writer of this letter to be faithful, honest, caring for others, wise, of sound judgment, just, decisive, careful with the wealth of the people and the state... and that his heart
is big enough to embrace all without discrimination... .
Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if He wants, He will send it to heaven with the martyrs, or, He will postpone that... so let us be patient and depend on Him against the unjust nations... .
I call on you not to hate because hate
does not leave a space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking and keeps away one
from balanced thinking and making the right choice....
I also call on you not to hate the peoples of the other countries that attacked us and differentiate between the decision-makers and people....
Anyone who repents - whether in Iraq or abroad - you must forgive him....
You should know that among the aggressors, there are people who support your struggle against the invaders,
and some of them volunteered for the
legal defense of prisoners, including Saddam Hussein....
Dear faithful people, I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God... God is great... Long live our nation... Long live our great struggling people... Long live Iraq... Long live Palestine... Long live jihad and the mujahideen.
Saddam Hussein
President and Commander in Chief of the Iraqi Mujahid Armed Forces
Ellie
Hussein letter to Iraq: 'Do not hate'
By Christopher Torchia
Associated Press
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to embrace "brotherly coexistence" and not to hate U.S.-led foreign troops, in a goodbye letter posted on a Web site yesterday, a day after Iraq's highest court upheld his death sentence and ordered him hanged within 30 days.
A top government official, meanwhile, said Hussein's execution could proceed without the approval of Iraq's president, meaning there were no more legal obstacles to sending the deposed dictator to the gallows.
One of Hussein's attorneys, Issam Ghazzawi, confirmed to the Associated Press in Jordan that the Internet letter was authentic, saying it was written by Hussein on Nov. 5 - the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal for ordering the 1982 killings of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail.
"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," said the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the AP.
"I also call on you not to hate the people of the other countries that attacked us," it added, referring to the invasion that toppled his regime nearly four years ago.
Against the backdrop of sectarian killings that have dragged Sunni Arabs and Shiite Muslims into civil warfare over the last year, Hussein urged his countrymen to "remember that God has enabled you to become an example of love, forgiveness and brotherly coexistence."
But he also voiced support for the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgency, saying: "Long live jihad and the mujahedeen."
Despite his calls for conciliation among Iraqis, Hussein's legacy is brutal. He put suspected foes to death without trial, oppressed Kurds and Shiites, waged war on Iran, and twice fought U.S.-led armies. He left an impoverished nation now gripped by sectarian bloodshed and an insurgency against the U.S. presence.
Violence struck Baghdad again yesterday, with a car bomb killing eight civilians and wounding 10 near an Iraqi army checkpoint. Four more civilians died in a mortar attack in a Shiite neighborhood, and police found the bodies of 51 apparent victims of sectarian killings.
Questions had arisen about whether the court's ruling needed to be approved by Iraq's presidency, which customarily signs off on death sentences.
Busho Ibrahim, deputy justice minister, said it was not necessary. And a spokesman for President Jalal Talabani acknowledged the argument that the execution could go ahead without ratification by the president, who has expressed opposition to the death penalty.
"Some people believe there is no need for his approval," spokesman Hiwa Osman said. "We still have to hear from the court as to how the procedure can be carried out."
An official from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said, "The government wants Saddam executed as soon as possible." Another official close to Maliki, who also refused to be quoted by name, said the execution would take place before the end of the 30-day period.
Hussein will remain in a U.S. military prison near the airport, Camp Cropper, until the day of the execution, at which point he will be handed over to Iraqi authorities, the official said.
Ghazzawi, the defense lawyer, said the Hussein letter was released Tuesday and published yesterday on the Web site of Hussein's former Baath Party.
The deposed leader said he was writing the letter because his lawyers had told him the Iraqi High Tribunal that tried his case would give him an opportunity to say a final word.
"But that court and its chief judge did not give us the chance to say a word, and issued its verdict without explanation and read out the sentence - dictated by the invaders - without presenting the evidence," Hussein wrote.
"Dear faithful people," he added, "I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God who helps those who take refuge in him and who will never disappoint any honest believer."
Some Hussein loyalists threatened to retaliate if he is executed, warning in a posting on the same Web site that they would target U.S. interests.
The U.S. command reported three American military deaths yesterday, bringing the U.S. death toll for December to 93 in one of the bloodiest months for U.S. troops this year. The high for the year was 106 soldiers and Marines, killed in October, according to an AP count.
Saddam Hussein's Farewell
Following are excerpts from a letter in the name of Saddam Hussein posted on a Web site yesterday, and translated from the Arabic by the Associated Press:
Many of you have known the writer of this letter to be faithful, honest, caring for others, wise, of sound judgment, just, decisive, careful with the wealth of the people and the state... and that his heart
is big enough to embrace all without discrimination... .
Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if He wants, He will send it to heaven with the martyrs, or, He will postpone that... so let us be patient and depend on Him against the unjust nations... .
I call on you not to hate because hate
does not leave a space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking and keeps away one
from balanced thinking and making the right choice....
I also call on you not to hate the peoples of the other countries that attacked us and differentiate between the decision-makers and people....
Anyone who repents - whether in Iraq or abroad - you must forgive him....
You should know that among the aggressors, there are people who support your struggle against the invaders,
and some of them volunteered for the
legal defense of prisoners, including Saddam Hussein....
Dear faithful people, I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God... God is great... Long live our nation... Long live our great struggling people... Long live Iraq... Long live Palestine... Long live jihad and the mujahideen.
Saddam Hussein
President and Commander in Chief of the Iraqi Mujahid Armed Forces
Ellie