Capture of Saddam Hussein backlash

The capture of Saddam Hussein backlash began in early 2004, according to the January 20, 2004, Reuters news story "Iraqis Want Saddam's Old U.S. Friends on Trial" by Michael Georgy:

"If Iraqis ever see Saddam Hussein on trial," Georgy writes, "they want his former American allies shackled beside him."

Ali Mahdi, a builder, told Georgy that "'Saddam should not be the only one who is put on trial. The Americans backed him when he was killing Iraqis so they should be prosecuted. ... If the Americans escape justice they will face God's justice. They must be stoned in hell.'"

Georgy notes that "The United States continued to feel the backlash of its move to give Saddam prisoner of war status Tuesday as thousands of Iraqi protesters called for his execution. ... Washington's move has thrown some doubt over his fate after Iraq's U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council had said Saddam would be tried in a special tribunal by Iraqi judges. ... His POW status means the former dictator, accused of sending thousands of Iraqis to mass graves, could have more rights than a war criminal."

The Iraqi logic is simple: "The United States backed Saddam in his war with Iran in the 1980s. During that time, he also gassed an estimated 5,000 Kurds to death in the village of Halabja. ... A few years later Washington began branding Saddam a tyrant and an enemy after his troops invaded oil-rich Kuwait in 1990. ... 'Saddam was a top graduate of the American school of politics,' said Assad al-Saadi, standing with friends in the slum of Sadr city, formerly called Saddam City, a Shi'ite Muslim area oppressed by Saddam's security agents. ... 'My brother was an army officer who was executed. Saddam is a criminal and the Americans were his friends. We need justice so that we can forget the past.'"

Because Saddam was given POW status a month after his capture on December 13, 2003, "his new POW status has only added to skepticism about American promises after toppling Saddam in April." However, it appears that Iraqis are also skeptical about Saddam actually facing justice. Ali, identified by Georgy as a "U.S.-trained policeman," stated "'The Americans and Saddam should face justice. Do you really think the Americans are going to put themselves on trial? ... Of course we hope the Americans and Saddam will face trial. But will it ever happen? I doubt it.'"

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * capture of Saddam Hussein
 * trial of Saddam Hussein