Various organizations have deplored the execution of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Issuing a press statement, Amnesty International, the international rights watchdog has deplored the execution of Saddam Hussein following the confirmation of his sentence by the Iraqi Appeals Court on 26 December 2006.

“We oppose the death penalty in all cases as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, but it is especially abhorrent when this most extreme penalty is imposed after an unfair trial,” the statement quoted Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme as saying.

“Every accused has a right to a fair trial, whatever the magnitude of the charge against them. This plain fact was routinely ignored through the decades of Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. His overthrow opened the opportunity to restore this basic right and, at the same time, to ensure, fairly, accountability for the crimes of the past. It is an opportunity missed,” said Malcolm Smart.

Meanwhile, Inter Religious Council Nepal (IRCN) has also condemned the execution of death penalty against Hussein saying the incident will make the situation in Iraq more complex.

“At a time when voices are being raised about Animal Rights, death penalty is not acceptable in any excuse,” a statement issued by IRCN said.

Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death on 5 November 2006 after being convicted in connection with the killing of 148 people from al-Dujail village after an attempt to assassinate him there in 1982.

Saddam was hanged to death outside Baghdad on Saturday morning as the Iraqi Tribunal recently upheld war crime charges against him.