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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Tense Iraq awaits Saddam verdict | Tense Iraq awaits Saddam verdict |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| An Iraqi court is preparing to give its verdict on whether Saddam Hussein is guilty of crimes against humanity and if so, whether he should be executed. | An Iraqi court is preparing to give its verdict on whether Saddam Hussein is guilty of crimes against humanity and if so, whether he should be executed. |
| The trial was to begin at 0700 GMT, but has been delayed for unknown reasons. | |
| Stringent security measures have been imposed on Baghdad as Iraqis wait to learn their former leader's fate. | Stringent security measures have been imposed on Baghdad as Iraqis wait to learn their former leader's fate. |
| Fearing violence from his Sunni Arab supporters, the government imposed a curfew on Baghdad and nearby provinces and cancelled all army leave. | Fearing violence from his Sunni Arab supporters, the government imposed a curfew on Baghdad and nearby provinces and cancelled all army leave. |
| Few Iraqis think the trial verdict will ease conflict, the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says. | |
| Almost three years since Saddam Hussein was captured, soaring sectarian violence has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. | Almost three years since Saddam Hussein was captured, soaring sectarian violence has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. |
| Even those Iraqis who want to see their former leader dead do not believe his execution would make things any better, according to our correspondent. | |
| Death penalty | Death penalty |
| Many critics have dismissed the trial as a form of victors' justice, given the close attention the US has paid to it. | Many critics have dismissed the trial as a form of victors' justice, given the close attention the US has paid to it. |
| Saddam Hussein faced trial on charges of crimes against humanity | Saddam Hussein faced trial on charges of crimes against humanity |
| Lawyers for Saddam Hussein have also accused the government of interfering in the proceedings - a complaint backed by US group, Human Rights Watch. | Lawyers for Saddam Hussein have also accused the government of interfering in the proceedings - a complaint backed by US group, Human Rights Watch. |
| The former leader's lawyers have also attacked the timing of the planned verdict - days before the US votes in mid-term elections. | The former leader's lawyers have also attacked the timing of the planned verdict - days before the US votes in mid-term elections. |
| US President George W Bush's Republican Party is at risk of losing control of Congress in part because of voter dissatisfaction over its handling of the Iraq conflict. | US President George W Bush's Republican Party is at risk of losing control of Congress in part because of voter dissatisfaction over its handling of the Iraq conflict. |
| The former Iraqi leader and seven co-defendants are accused of ordering the deaths of 148 Shias in 1982 in the village of Dujail, following an assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein. | The former Iraqi leader and seven co-defendants are accused of ordering the deaths of 148 Shias in 1982 in the village of Dujail, following an assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein. |
| The charge carries the death penalty, which is likely to be enforced by hanging - although Saddam Hussein has said in court that he would rather be executed by firing squad. | The charge carries the death penalty, which is likely to be enforced by hanging - although Saddam Hussein has said in court that he would rather be executed by firing squad. |
| A second trial, for the former leader's crackdown on Iraq's Kurdish community, has yet to reach a conclusion. | A second trial, for the former leader's crackdown on Iraq's Kurdish community, has yet to reach a conclusion. |
| Sunni Arab support | Sunni Arab support |
| In a televised speech on Saturday, Nouri Maliki, Iraq's Shia Arab prime minister, said he hoped Saddam Hussein would get "what he deserves" for "crimes against the Iraqi people". | In a televised speech on Saturday, Nouri Maliki, Iraq's Shia Arab prime minister, said he hoped Saddam Hussein would get "what he deserves" for "crimes against the Iraqi people". |
| Nouri Maliki has called for calm ahead of the verdict | Nouri Maliki has called for calm ahead of the verdict |
| Our correspondent says Mr Maliki's statement provoked some surprise, given the continuing sectarian violence in Iraq. | Our correspondent says Mr Maliki's statement provoked some surprise, given the continuing sectarian violence in Iraq. |
| Mr Maliki said Iraqis should mark the verdict in a way that "does not risk their lives". | Mr Maliki said Iraqis should mark the verdict in a way that "does not risk their lives". |
| A guilty verdict is widely expected against Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants, and the government fears his supporters among Iraq's Sunni Arab community will react violently. | A guilty verdict is widely expected against Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants, and the government fears his supporters among Iraq's Sunni Arab community will react violently. |
| Sunni Arabs have also supplied the backbone of Iraq's insurgency, launching attacks on Shia Muslims and US troops. | Sunni Arabs have also supplied the backbone of Iraq's insurgency, launching attacks on Shia Muslims and US troops. |
| Restive province | Restive province |
| Sunday's security measures include a curfew in Baghdad, a city of six million people, that bans all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. | Sunday's security measures include a curfew in Baghdad, a city of six million people, that bans all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. |
| The city's civilian airport is also to remain closed. | |
| Three nearby provinces, including Salahuddin, which contains Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, are also under curfew. | Three nearby provinces, including Salahuddin, which contains Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, are also under curfew. |
| Correspondents say a violent reaction would not be surprising in Salahuddin, north of Baghdad, nor in Anbar to the west of the capital - where no curfew has been announced. | Correspondents say a violent reaction would not be surprising in Salahuddin, north of Baghdad, nor in Anbar to the west of the capital - where no curfew has been announced. |
| The BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad says it is hard to enforce a curfew in Anbar as many of Saddam's former police, senior army officers and Baath Party officials lived in the two main towns there - Falluja and the provincial capital, Ramadi. | The BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad says it is hard to enforce a curfew in Anbar as many of Saddam's former police, senior army officers and Baath Party officials lived in the two main towns there - Falluja and the provincial capital, Ramadi. |
| But elsewhere, especially in Kurdish and Shia areas, there may be celebrations if Saddam Hussein is found guilty. | But elsewhere, especially in Kurdish and Shia areas, there may be celebrations if Saddam Hussein is found guilty. |