I saw the 'sanctioned' footage of him being led out onto the scaffold. The first thing that struck me was how composed he looked. I think, secretly, I'd been hoping he'd be blubbing like a baby, kicking and screaming as they dragged him into position.Why? Because the world's future would-be dictators need to see that an undignified and messy end awaits them if they decide to abuse humanity further down their career path. But also, those who might rally around Saddam, use him as some heroic figurehead, might have a slightly harder task rallying support if he'd departed this world kicking and screaming like a baby.
But, unfortunately he didn't. He seemed to be quite calm, with a steely look of defiance in his eyes. And that, I found very unsettling. I wonder if that minute and a half of footage will come back and haunt us all in years to come. I wonder if in the decades ahead of us, his face will return as the logo or banner of some future jihadi organization....and arab-centric historians will rewrite his brutal past as some sort of noble attempt to unite the middle east against the infidel west.
For this reason, I believe the execution should not have been filmed...perhaps images of his body shown, to confirm to disbelievers that yes...he IS dead - but not this footage, that shows compsoure and defiance in the face of death.
Like I say, I think that's going to come back and bite us.
2 comments:
I don't think it was right to hang him, but once the decision to do this was made I think it had to be shown in all its grisly detail.
There can now be no conspiracy theories, no die-hards believing that Saddam faked his own death, no plots involving Prince Philip or grassy knolls or men with umbrellas or Fidel Castro or whatever.
I agree with alex, if they had to show him show him dead, thats it a simple , this is what happens he is dead.
I think he should have suffered for his crimes with forced labour etc.. not hanged that was too easy.
but they made up their minds, and thats up to them, but filming it as well is wrong and tacky, and should not have been released. who ever had the camera phone should be locked up
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