That estimable publication The Daily Star greeted Saddam's capture with the simple headline "hang him". If that referred to someone in this country, the editor would have been arrested for soliciting murder. Disgusting.

Lostsailor, where did you get the info about his forgone execution? If it's correct, it looks like Lady Justice has already been bundled roughly aside. Poetic justice it might be, real justice it's not, and that's everyone's right, even if they are a murderous dictator.

If it is any sort of fair trial, it will be interesting to see just how much muck concerning Washington, London and France's grubby little deals with Saddam comes to light: I get the feeling many in the Whitehouse wouldn't complain if they were spared having to cavil their way out of that one!

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by Milky
They got DNA samples from relatives who had fled abroad...can't remember exactly who, something like his brother or uncle. They then compared the samples with his relatives DNA. Read that in the paper months ago.

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This would at best prove he was part of the family, not that he was Saddam Hussein.

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by thelostsailor
I imagine they had his dna on file. Plus they could always test his DNA against that of his dead sons.

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How long ago was he in training? DNA testing is a relatively recent piece of science and it seems unlikely to me that we could have got such data that far back. As for his sons, again this at best would prove he was probably related to them, not that he was Saddam. And then there's the question of how they confirmed they were his sons in the first place, as Bee pointed out above.

I reckon it is him, its just all this use of pseudo-science is bothering me. That and the fact I consider Bush a bigger danger to world piece than Saddam could ever be, and this capture could well ensure a second unelected term for him...

there's something in the DNA that some tests can tell the difference between paternal relation and just blood relation there are many more matching denominations between child and parent in DNA (is denomination the right word?) i watch too much CSI but i can never remember the correct words.

www.genetree.com/product/y-chromosome-dna.asp

?

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by Byron
Lostsailor, where did you get the info about his forgone execution?

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Well for one the fact that the USA don't want him trialed before the United Nations tribunal in Den Haag might be a nice give away (As they don't do death penalties). And they want him trialed by "his own people". I must say that it might be very hard to find an honestly fair judge in Iraq after what Saddam is alleged to have done over the last 35 years or so

Aslong as that man lives his people will live in terror of what he might do when he is freed from prison by some of his followers. Add to that the not so great state of "security" of the Iraqy prisons (he will or get out, or he will get killed by another inmate).

And ofcourse we got this little lovely bit from CNN.com

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The Bush administration assumes it will retain custody of Saddam until after it turns over sovereignty to a new Iraqi government next year, a process currently scheduled for June 2004.

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Earlier, one member of the IGC said Saddam could be tried within the next few weeks and executed if convicted by an Iraqi war crimes tribunal.

The U.S.-backed coalition suspended the death penalty when it assumed power in Baghdad and is unlikely to rescind that suspension because coalition member Britain......(cut)

But once Iraqis regain sovereignty, they are free to determine what penalties to use and how they will be applied.

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In that case there is no way this guy won't get the death penalty! As the only government that will be allected in Iraq that won't sentance him to death (and therefor must be atleast a bit pro Saddam or follow his "extremist" views) is not a government that the American's will allow to rule Iraq.

(Edited by Chambler 16/12/2003 07:06)

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by thelostsailor
Saddam was trained at RMA Sandhurst.

(Edited by thelostsailor 15/12/2003 15:28)

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Really? As in Sandhurst in the UK?

Quite a few dubious Western "allies" have been through the likes of Sandhurst and West Point...

Interesting to see George Bush predudicing any future trial of Saddam, by demanding the death penalty when, as yet, we don't know what he will be charged with, by whom and under what laws.