Saddam Hussein trial: Your views

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has made a defiant appearance at his trial in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

He faces charges relating to the mass killing of more than 100 Shia men from the Iraqi village of Dujail in 1982.

At the trial the former Iraqi leader pleaded not guilty and questioned the validity of the proceedings. The trial was adjourned until 28 November.

Do you think Saddam Hussein's trial will help Iraq move forward? Can he get a fair trial? Do you think he should face the death penalty? Are you an Iraqi and if so what do you think?

This debate is now closed. Thankyou for your comments.

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The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

The main reason for this trial is to show that law should have the final say. The outcome of this trial is clear, because Saddam's crimes are on a mass scale, this dictator is on the same level as Stalin and Hitler, humanity didn't have the chance to put in court these two but we managed to bring this dictator to a one. I wish to see him executed and nothing less, because that and only that is justice.
Ali Mahdi, from Baghdad

The Iraqi people are witnessing a new era, the right to vote, express one's religion and freedom of speech and basic human rights can be expressed. This was all non-existent at the time of Saddam Hussein. But yet the Iraqi people have shown and proved a new quality, which is never found in any society, that the evil dictator that brutally killed thousands of innocent Iraqi lives will receive a fair and just trail. What other country in history has this ever been implemented?
Mohammed Altayar, London, UK

The trial will be unfair until all the foreign army is out of the Iraq because that will affect the judgement.
Shaikh Mukhtar, Ahmedabad, India

It is not a case of what Saddam deserves as punishment for his alleged crimes but how any charges and sentence are seen to be conducted. Yesterday we saw a man denied the chance to tell the world who assisted him over the past 20+ years but those people/countries are now ensuring the world doesn't get to find out the duplicity that goes on. What happens to Saddam is irrelevant because Pandora's box has been opened. Expect Iraq to be in the news in 15 years from now. Iraq is now the honey pot to attract everyone who despises the West and the lies we stand for in the pursuit of global domination.
Peter Curry, Newcastle (UK)

This trial should not be about justice for Saddam Hussein, it should be about justices for the victims of Saddam Hussein and his government.
Ray, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear

Saddam Hussein should face trial and the consequences thereof pursuant to the laws of the Iraqi people. Whether one agrees with the war in Iraq is irrelevant. Iraq must now be a nation of laws. The important thing all must remember is that he is entitled to whatever and however justice is dispensed under Iraqi law. If that is the death penalty then so be it. He is represented by counsel and regardless of the outcome, appears to have been given an opportunity for a fair trial.
Mike, NJ, USA

While I agree that he was a ruthless ruler, we must also be fair and just in judging home and cannot let our emotions take us over. He should be tried at the international court in the Hague, it's the only way to get a fair trial.
Mohammad, Ottawa, Canada

A fair trial would be conducted at the Hague by the United Nations. But that would highlight too many issues on the coalition side so he gets this local affair instead. Polarisation of Iraqi opinion being what it is this inevitably involves his tribal, sectarian and political antagonists. It hands a PR gift to his supporters who can portray it as a stage-managed kangaroo court leading inevitably to execution.
Peter, London, UK

Before punishment is dealt out the country should have its infrastructure back Callie, Tallahassee, Fl

How can Saddam possibly get a fair trial when Iraq is still occupied? The Iraqi people deserve to see him brought to justice, but it kind of feels like the US is the one that is running the trial behind the scenes. Although the trial is important, I'm not sure how much it is doing to move the country forward. Before punishment is dealt out the country should have its infrastructure back and no longer be a pseudo state.
Callie, Tallahassee, Fl

It is but clear that Saddam Hussein has a bad record, almost in all domains just like most world leaders. However, his judicial proceedings should be fair and not guided by any nation or person(s).
Agendia Aloysius, Douala, Cameroon

The new Iraqi regime has a great opportunity to show that they are more civilised than the old one by not using the death penalty on Saddam. I only hope that they take that opportunity.
Adam, London, UK

No matter where the trial is held, his will be far fairer than any so-called trial he gave his own people. He didn't offer any glimmer of human rights to his people so why should anyone who is so devoid of any shred of humanity be shown any?
C Preece, Tamworth, UK

Every sensible person knows that Saddam was not a good leader. But he should have been brought down systematically. Saddam's trial will not help move Iraq forward. It may help move Iraq backward. The sectarian clashes may aggravate. Every Iraqi or every person who knows the real situation in Iraq would equally blame the occupying forces in Iraq for killing thousands of innocent civilians and women in their fight against terrorism. Who would be made responsible for all these loses of life. The occupying forces and their respective governments are responsible for their unplanned experiment and their aftermath in Iraq.
Mubarak, Cairo, Egypt

Be glad an evil dictator is being brought to justice Steven McDaniel, Sand Springs, OK, USA

As always, I see more sympathy for Saddam, and his fellow torturer-murderers, than for the US. The US tried to do something decisive to remove a perceived threat from this multiple mass murderer, and all the European intelligentsia can do is shout the tired old 'Yankee go home,' garbage. Just swallow your pride and be glad an evil dictator is being brought to justice.
Steven McDaniel, Sand Springs, OK, USA

Murdering and torturing innocent people was part of his profession, that is why in his point of view he is not guilty.
Aldrin Gomez, Kuwait

The crimes for which Saddam is being tried, dates back to 1980s. What was the world and particularly the US doing in the 80s and 90s about those crimes? Why did his removal from power, and trial became one of most desired objectives, only after 2002? I think, merely the fact that his crimes are highlighted only in recent years, are indicative of the motives behind this drama.
Amir Zia, Canada

The trial is as much a circus as the war on Iraq is. The aim of both being to divert attention from the truth of what the West, led by the US, have perpetrated in Iraq and the Middle East.
Mushtaq, London, UK

I believe Iraqis living in Iraq are more concerned with other issues that most nations take for granted, such as electricity, water and how to get to your workplace without being blown up by a car bomb.
Firas T. Attia, Baghdad, Iraq

Why is he not being tried at the Hague? Marie Jammal, Houston, United States

Bantering back and forth whether Saddam will get a fair trial is not the real issue. As mentioned in numerous opinions here, why is he not being tried at the Hague? I believe the answer is that this would solidify the validity and need for an International Court. If Hussein is given the death penalty and it is carried out, this will only make him a martyr in the eyes and minds of his supporters. The trial of Saddam will widen the divide of Iraqis, Sunni against Shia - Shia against Sunni, who are already teetering on the verge of a very bloody civil war.
Marie Jammal, Houston, United States

Just as it was at Nuremberg and at the Tokyo war crime tribunal, this is victor's justice plain and simple. The legitimacy of the court will be severely questioned. Does the defence have sufficient resources to mount any sort of rebuttal? Who is choosing the judge or compiling the evidence? Just as at those two famous war crime trials, the process will be arduous and ultimately insufficiently just. It is also interesting to consider why America is suddenly embracing international law after rejecting the ICC statute.
Nick Marceau, Toronto, Canada

How dare non-Iraqis look down their collective noses at the people of Iraq and suggest that the Hague is a superior court to judge Saddam! Many other countries were up to their ears in doing business with Saddam and still would be if he was in power, while he murdered tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens. The people of Iraq do not need lessons in ethics and justice from those who did nothing to remove Saddam from power and they will give him a fair trial, unlike he gave those he killed.
George, California, U.S.A

One needs to ask: Is Saddam that different from other rulers? The USA and Europe are now rationalising measures against their own fellow people because of terrorism. Saddam justified his because of the war with Iran.
Fouad Attia, USA

Saddam Hussein cannot get a fair trial in an occupied country.
John D Morgan, Arlington Heights, IL, US

This trial will almost certainly be stage managed to arrive at the most satisfactory result for everyone. I expect a compromise deal.
Rick Harrington, Nottingham, UK

Saddam should be sent to America and tried there for his crimes. America wanted this war so let her be the dutiful host. As long as that vile man is in Iraq he will never pay for what he has done and the only way the world will see a fair trial is if he is tried somewhere other than Iraq!
Helen Carter-Wilkinson, Stockton on Tees, England

Iraq will remain in turmoil way past Saddam's demise Helen, Seven Lakes, USA

Firstly Saddam should not be tried in Iraq. The trial is being handled by Shia and Kurds who want revenge. They will execute him and his associates. Their culture so dictates. The only way he won't face death penalty if he were tried in a Western Court. I am not Iraqi but Middle Eastern. Iraq will remain in turmoil way past Saddam's demise.
Helen, Seven Lakes, USA

Saddam's fate should be clearly and only in the hands of the people of Iraq.
Bryan Williamson, Manchester

Saddam's historic trial in Iraq will set a bad precedent. Everybody deserves a lucid, just, and fair trial in any judicial systems. I think this court and the people behind the trial will suffer the question of credibility.
Teng Catong, Philippines

This is not a trial of revenge, rather a trial that will give the Iraqi people the justice they've been denied for centuries.
Ahmed Alaskary, London, UK

It's important that Saddam Hussein is judged according to Iraqi law, even if it results in the death penalty. Anything else would be a breach of what the coalition has been trying to persuade us all this time, that Iraq will be governed by Iraqis and not what many Iraqi people see as an occupying force.
Simon, Southampton, UK

Well, to start with, the interpretation of the trail was not successful, the interpreter was not successful in his job, and then we all know that Saddam is finished and for good, the importance of this trial, for me, is to know the hidden things that happened during his era and after the invasions, so for ma again, if the judge is clever and concerned about what had happened in Iraq during his regime then he has to put some attention to these issues, Saddam was not alone there and so many people were, at some point, of interest from him being in power, we want to know them, and we, as Iraqis, want to make sure no such people should be presented in Iraq, or at least there is a system that would prevent such things.
Mohammed, London, UK

You cannot uphold the law by breaking the law Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, UK

The "trial" of Saddam Hussein is a farce. You cannot uphold the law by breaking the law - and the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq was a blatant violation of the UN Charter. Give us the rule of law - not the rule of political marketing images!
Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, UK

After losing 4 of my family members under Saddam's regime and his merciless killers, my only hope was to see him one day paying for his crimes. I hope that day will come soon.
An Assyrian, Toronto, Canada

The trial should be fair, yes, but it shouldn't be a opportunity for Saddam Hussein to again voice his opinion to the mass media. There needs to be more control in the court room and less showmanship.
Robert Wagner, New York, USA

Saddam's trial and its outcome will have no impact on the future of Iraq. Iraq will only move forward when the occupation forces leave the country - the invasion by the coalition forces has fractured and divided the country. For sure there will be bloodshed after the US withdrawal, but it is only Iraqis who can solve their problems, not foreign powers or their puppets.
Lumen, Toronto, Canada

I think he will get a fair trial Kirti Shah, Las Vegas, USA

Saddam should feel lucky that he is given a chance to argue before the court which he denied to his opponents and executed them. I think he will get a fair trial. I believe he should not be executed, rather serve rest of his life in prison. This might give him a chance to repent over his deeds.
Kirti Shah, Las Vegas, USA

I see many of you say that the trial is unfair, that this is not justice. I say to you, you have not suffered, you have not had your father taken in the night to never be seen again, you have not had your mother taken away to be "questioned". You have not had your homes invaded nor have you been taken away to be beaten like an animal. If you had you would not say this is unjust, you would say it is not enough.
Majiek

The trial must be perceived to be both fair and impartial, if the average Iraqi citizen is going to believe the new government and constitution will protect them and establish a better Iraq. American democracy is still evolving, and so it must be with Iraq. No matter what kind of government is eventually put in place, the citizens of Iraq must support their form of government or it cannot stand.
M. Caleb, USA

Whether or not he did it is immaterial. It cannot help but be a show trial.
Arran Yarwood, Exeter, UK.

I am not so sure about this whole fair trial. The Western governments should be worried about some aspects of it because a lot of their dirty work in the Middle East may be exposed in the trial too.
John Sanders, London

This trial is an important step for the people of Iraq and their quest for national and personal freedom. Openly exploring the atrocities that Saddam committed during his reign of terror will give a voice to those whose lives were destroyed by Saddam's and his ruthless regime. The trial will be fair and justice will be done. The death penalty is too good for Saddam. Let him sit in solitude all the rest of his days reflecting on his brutal crimes and let him know how Iraq will be reborn and prosper in spite of him.
Artie, New York, NY, USA

We shall not wish death upon anybody, even if it means giving in to the likes of Saddam Hussein Ashleigh, Austria

Well what exactly is it that we want? What sort of punishment would do justice to what Saddam has done? Many think of a 'death penalty', but who are we to judge who is to live and who is to die? Saddam, if anything, should to the least be sent for life long imprisonment, but no more... We shall not wish death upon anybody, even if it means giving in to the likes of Saddam Hussein.
Ashleigh, Austria

What an absurd waste of time and money. Saddam will grandstand for the cameras and ridicule the proceedings, using this opportunity to undermine the coalition's attempt to liberate Iraq.
Roger, London, England.

Saddam does deserve and will receive a fair trial. Just because he was a tyrant and offered no fair trial to his prisoners/victims doesn't mean we should follow in his footsteps. Being the better person and standing by your own laws while you legally and fairly try one of the most ruthless killers in the history of the world is likely the most prideful thing the Iraqi people can be doing right now. These are the things what will build a strong Iraq, united in a cause.
Greg Smith, Atlanta, GA, USA

How dare the Americans put the legal president of our country on trial? Saddam Hussein is a hero to all Arabs and no-one has the right to judge him. I am sure that the court will have to release our leader because they are agents of America and can not prove anything. This court has not even got a single sign of justice.
Usama, Palestinian territories

I believe this trial is a farce, and will not bring anything to the people of Iraq Anonymous

As person of Kurdish nationality, I believe this trial is a farce, and will not bring anything to the people of Iraq. It will stir a long cycle of violence, of more blood, of more massacres. Who would believe the impartiality of that tribunal, presided over by a Kurd from Suleymaniya. What legal doctrine tells us the suspect should be tried by the relatives of the victim? This so-called trial is just to cover up the crimes committed by Anglo-Americans against the peoples of Iraq.
Anonymous

I think the fact that he is actually on trial goes some way to supporting those who argued in favour of the war, and the families of those who suffered at his hands.
Bill, UK

They must try him and it has to be a show. What else can they do with him? He also must be tried before the new constitution is in place since that one will no longer allow this kind of sham. It certainly is not justice what we see on the TV. If the West is now in the business of removing leaders who is next? There are many, many leaders who came to power and remained in power due to similar so-called crimes against humanity. There are axes grinding for vengeance in many countries. Almost no country is free of grievances by minorities or majorities.
Thomas, Sudbury, Canada

Saddam and his associates are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Their trial must be fair and rid of political or ethnic bias. If, so, it will send a message to all remaining dictators and to the world that justice is done.
Elele, Equatorial Guinea

If Saddam is executed for his crimes it would come to be remembered as one of the greatest political mistakes of the 21st Century. All I see in Bush's face since 9/11 is a desire for vengeance, we need to show mercy here ... in spite of the fact that we have shown little regard for the lives of the numerous innocent Iraqis who have died since the advent of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Anon, Plymouth, UK

Two wrongs do not make a right. The trial must be conducted in a just and fair manner and the highest standards of justice should be applied. If not, there would be absolutely no difference between arbitrary killings alleged to have occurred under Saddam's rule and his trial for these allegations. Endorsement of trial proceedings by leading human rights groups would add to its legitimacy. Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done.
Lavanya Rama Iyer, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fair trial? The human right to a free trial should not be granted to one who has previously defied human rights' laws on such an extreme level. I doubt the hundred plus Shia men had a fair trial?
Michael Graham, London, UK

If you start a war and catch the top villain, you must send him to trial and it depends on the charges where you put him in the dock. In this case it is Iraq and a fair trial is possible if the court limits itself to just the one charge.
Hans Vanderkolk, Amsterdam, Holland

As an Iraqi Sunni Arab all I have is one question: Why is this court not like the mock trials in the kangaroo courts that Saddam used to have? Why doesn't he spend his time in a small dark dingy cell like the one he kept people in? He doesn't deserve this much respect.
Mustafa Muhsin, NJ, USA

Like many Iraqis, I have suffered the loss of many of my family members under the barbaric hand of the tyrant Saddam and his gang of savages. I think it is about time people started to consider the feeling of these grieving families and started to act out justice.
Mohammed Baraka, London, UK