GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour says she regrets
the execution in Baghdad of two former Saddam Hussein aides.
"I am opposed to capital punishment under all circumstances," Arbour
said Monday. "In this particular case, not only is the penalty
irremediable, it may also make it more difficult to have a complete
judicial accounting of other, equally horrendous, crimes committed in
Iraq."
Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti, the former director of Iraqi
intelligence and Awad al-Bandar, who used to head the Revolutionary
Court were hanged Monday at dawn. They were convicted for their roles in
the killing of 148 Shiites in the town of Dujail in 1982. Ex-president
Saddam Hussein was hanged for similar charges on Dec.30.
The high commissioner said she was concerned about the fairness of the
Dujail trial.
"Imposition of the death penalty after a trial and appeal proceedings
that do not respect the principles of due process amounts to a violation
of the right to life," she said.
"Those responsible for serious human rights violations must be brought
to justice, and this is crucial for effective national reconciliation,"
the high commissioner said. "But, to be credible and durable, the fight
against impunity must be based on respect for international human rights
standards and the rule of law, and must not come at their expense."
Arbour had previously criticized Saddam's hanging and U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon recently urged the Iraqi government to refrain from
further executions.
