The Final Countdown

Iraq’s Cassation Panel, the country’s highest appeals court, gave new meaning to the phrase “final countdown” today when it upheld the death sentence of Saddam Hussayn Abdalmajid al-Tikriti for the killing of 148 Shiites in the city of Dujail, Iraq. Chief Judge Aref Shahin said the sentence must be implemented within 30 days and that it could take place any day starting tomorrow.

In a press gaggle, White House spokesperson Scott Stanzel said, "Today marks an important milestone in the Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law, and the Iraqis deserve praise for continuing to utilize the institutions of democracy to pursue justice. Saddam Hussein has received due process and legal rights that he denied the Iraqi people for so long. So this is an important day for the Iraqi people."

Whether or not this will have any substantive impact on the country of Iraq and its ongoing struggle to overcome sectarian violence and the shortcomings of its current government, it is at least a signal that the “Saddam era” could be truly coming to an end.

Expecting all sides to predict a rise in violence. Some will be shooting their guns toward the sky, some toward each other.

TC

Tags// Saddam Hussayn Abdalmajid al-Tikriti, Chief Judge Aref Shahin, Iraqi High Criminal Court Law, White House News, Dujail, Iraq

Media Coverage// AP, CNN, Reuters, NY Times, Al Jazeera, Fox News Video, BBC Video

Your days may be numbered….