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Saddam 'Admits Crimes and Should Hang 20 Times a Day'

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

SADDAM Hussein has confessed to crimes and should be hanged "20 times a day", Iraq's new president claimed yesterday.

Jalal Talabani - a former Kurdish rebel leader against the dictator - did not reveal what he had confessed to but added: "There are 100 reasons to sentence Saddam to death."

In a lengthy interview he told Iraq's state TV: "Saddam deserves a death sentence 20 times a day because he tried to assassinate me 20 times." President Talabani spoke two days after the government confirmed that Saddam and several of his former aides will go on trial on October 19 accused of killing 143 Shia villagers after a failed assassination attempt in 1982.

But he said he will not sign a death warrant himself.

Last week Iraq hanged the first three criminals sentenced to death since the US led invasion.

Talabani also refused to sign that warrant, handing responsibility to his Shia vice-president Adel Abdel Mehdi. He said that as leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan he had signed up his left wing party to an international ban on capital punishment.

But he added: "My not signing does not mean that I will block the decision of the court."

One of Saddam's lawyers, Abdel Haq Alani, condemned Talabani's remarks and said the alleged confession "comes to me as a surprise, a big surprise".

He added: "I have heard nothing whatsoever about this alleged media speculation.

"This is a matter for the judiciary to decide on, not for politicians.

"The court, the judge need to decide on this.

"Is this the fabrication of Talabani or what? Let's not have a trial on TV.

"Let the court of law, not the media make its ruling on this."

Saddam's legal team said they plan to challenge the legitimacy of the trial and the starting date as allowing insufficient time for a proper defence.

Source: Daily Mirror

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