Left 4 Dead

I really need to find more time in the day. This is one of those “perfect storm” times of the year when tons of quality games come out and there’s simply not enough time to play them all. I saw a video for Left 4 Dead the other day and was convinced that [...]

Saddam’s Fair Trial

Posted on November 7th, 2006 by Ed Lau

After the verdict in Saddam Hussein’s trial on Sunday, there was all kinds of articles going up on the blogosphere about how the trial was not fair. Of course, this was obviously not the first time this was suggested. The lawyers, the media and Saddam himself declared that the trial was a sham from the beginning. Please, if you believe that the trial was anything more than a formality, you have been misled. Bush and the U.S. made sure that he would be found guilty. There are even rumors that the verdict to hang Saddam were postponed to coincide with the interm election this Tuesday in the United States.

However, can anyone seriously argue against the confirmation that Saddam is guilty? Let’s not forget that the charges here have little to do with his reign as a dictator in Iraq but are focused more on his ordering the massacre of Shiites in 1982. I mean, there is plenty of documentation to prove it.

The trial was an absolute mess but please, it got the job done and in the end, it makes little difference. The only concerns the world should have now is how Saddam’s execution effects Iraq as a nation and how the world perceives the rebuilding country. The death penalty is not something to be taken lightly.

Let’s look at the preceedent set by Turkey in 2002, when they abolished the death penalty. It was an imporant piece of democratic reform which led to the start of negotiations for Turkey to join the EU. Isn’t it important that Iraq, even from a simply PR stance, do the same?

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