Surprise ending

Saddam Hussein’s death caught me by surprise. I was a little surprised by the death sentence to begin with, more surprised that the method chosen was hanging, and triply surprised that he was actually executed.

First, Augusto Pinochet was never condemned to death. He died naturally, recently. His various criminal cases from embezzlement to human rights abuses like torture were still pending, but I didn’t expect a death sentence for him despite his violent reign. The criminal process took much longer for Pinochet than for Hussein, which implies more thoroughness and thereby fairness in the criminal trial, while Hussein’s was comparatively speedy and always seemed tainted by scandal to me, never appearing wholly just. Human rights trials in the Hague and South Africa crawl by comparison to Hussein’s trial. Comparing Hussein to Pinochet and other despotic offenders, the death sentence surprised me.

Second, hanging seems so 19th century or roguish like Texas. Hanging brings to mind vigilante justice, hideously racist hate crimes, and the possibility of slow, inhumane death. (Though judging by the Iraqi choice of rope and the size of the knot on that noose, I don’t imagine Hussein actually lingered long.) Hanging reminds me of spectacle, tormenting of criminals in public squares and public humiliation, and yet Hussein died by the noose.

Third, the execution itself. Newspaper headlines confirm the suspicion in my gut that the hanging happened too swiftly to ensure real justice and fairness was served by the Iraqi court. The choice to hang him so quickly, and during a mainstream western holiday season, slinks and slides, bypassing public scrutiny of proceedings. I expected lengthy appeals, virulent courtroom proceedings arguing against death, and stalling and delays against commission of the execution. But no, swiftly Hussein did depart after the court’s pronouncement.

Strange, surreal, peculiar. Questionable, biased, unjust. I don’t argue in defense of Hussein, not in the least, but I flinch at questionable justice, and I’m left wondering---did he really deserve to die? If what I understand of anti-fundamentalist Muslims is true, would Allah have wanted Hussein to die? Justice should be tempered with forgiveness and humanity. Eye-for-an-eye is angry, vengeful, and does anyone deserve revenge by such a final and brutal force?

I don’t know any answers to the questions I raise, but I know that Hussein leaves more questions in death than even in life, the final surprise from a notoriously violent dictator.