Death sentence for the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein
Berne, 05.11.2006 - The DFA takes note of the verdict given on 5 November 2006 against the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, and other defendants by the special tribunal set up to try the crimes committed by the old regime in Baghdad. The DFA is pleased that it has been possible to conclude the trial in the first instance in spite of the difficulties encountered.
So long as there is no international legal provision requiring the creation of an international court to judge the crimes of the former Iraqi dictator, it is incumbent upon the Iraqi justice authorities to apply the necessary penal procedures.
This trial against the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, and other defendants has been a major challenge for the judges of the special tribunal set up to judge the crimes of the old regime and for those responsible for protecting the defendants, demanding great courage and personal commitment. Three of them were brutally murdered in the course of the proceedings.
The ex-president of Iraq has earned a severe sentence for the serious crimes he committed. The most severe penalty in Iraqi penal law is death.
For Switzerland the death penalty is not applicable even in the case of the most serious crimes. Switzerland does not recognise the death penalty, and it is explicitly banned in the Constitution of 1999. In compliance with this principle, Switzerland therefore advocates the abolition of the death penalty in the context of both its multilateral and in its bilateral diplomacy. This principle also applies in the case of Saddam Hussein.
Switzerland hopes that the trials against the former heads of the Iraqi dictatorship will contribute to overcoming the past and to the creation of a constitutional state in Iraq. The DFA continues to be extremely concerned about the current security situation in Iraq.
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