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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Saddam death scenes 'deplorable' | Saddam death scenes 'deplorable' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has described the circumstances of Saddam Hussein's execution as "deplorable". | Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has described the circumstances of Saddam Hussein's execution as "deplorable". |
| Mobile phone footage showed Saddam being told to "go to hell" by people attending the hanging, while the ex-leader mocks their "bravery". | Mobile phone footage showed Saddam being told to "go to hell" by people attending the hanging, while the ex-leader mocks their "bravery". |
| Mr Prescott said those responsible for the scenes should be "ashamed", without saying if that included the Iraqi government which organised the hanging. | |
| Iraq's government has now begun an inquiry into Saturday's events. | |
| 'Totally unacceptable' | 'Totally unacceptable' |
| Mr Prescott told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the manner was quite deplorable really. | Mr Prescott told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the manner was quite deplorable really. |
| "Frankly, to get this kind of recorded messages coming out is totally unacceptable and I think whoever is involved and responsible for it should be ashamed of themselves." | "Frankly, to get this kind of recorded messages coming out is totally unacceptable and I think whoever is involved and responsible for it should be ashamed of themselves." |
| Prime Minister Tony Blair, currently on holiday in Florida, has been criticised by Labour MPs opposed to the Iraq war for refusing to make an official statement about the execution. | Prime Minister Tony Blair, currently on holiday in Florida, has been criticised by Labour MPs opposed to the Iraq war for refusing to make an official statement about the execution. |
| To get this kind of recorded messages coming out is totally unacceptable and I think whoever is involved and responsible for it should be ashamed of themselves John PrescottDeputy prime minister | To get this kind of recorded messages coming out is totally unacceptable and I think whoever is involved and responsible for it should be ashamed of themselves John PrescottDeputy prime minister |
| Glenda Jackson branded his lack of public reaction "amazing", while Peter Kilfoyle said it was "yet another error in a long catalogue" on Iraq. | Glenda Jackson branded his lack of public reaction "amazing", while Peter Kilfoyle said it was "yet another error in a long catalogue" on Iraq. |
| Downing Street said Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett had spoken "on behalf of the whole government" when she gave her reaction to Saddam Hussein's death at the weekend. | Downing Street said Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett had spoken "on behalf of the whole government" when she gave her reaction to Saddam Hussein's death at the weekend. |
| She said Saddam had been "held to account", but added: "We do not support the use of the death penalty... we advocate an end to the death penalty worldwide, regardless of the individual or the crime." | She said Saddam had been "held to account", but added: "We do not support the use of the death penalty... we advocate an end to the death penalty worldwide, regardless of the individual or the crime." |
| The silent, official film released after the execution showed a subdued Saddam Hussein. | The silent, official film released after the execution showed a subdued Saddam Hussein. |
| But the other footage, believed to have been filmed on a mobile phone, shows a charged, angry scene. | But the other footage, believed to have been filmed on a mobile phone, shows a charged, angry scene. |
| Unlike the official film, it shows the moment that the gallows trapdoor opens. | Unlike the official film, it shows the moment that the gallows trapdoor opens. |
| The amateur footage first appeared on websites and then excerpts began airing on major news channels. | The amateur footage first appeared on websites and then excerpts began airing on major news channels. |
| The authorities fear the secret footage could contribute to a dramatic rise in sectarian tensions between Iraq's Sunni and Shia communities. | |
| "There were a few guards who shouted slogans that were inappropriate and that's now the subject of a government investigation," an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, Sami al-Askari, told Reuters news agency. |