NYU Law Professor Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, finds that glaring flaws in the trial of Saddam Hussein denied him a fair hearing. He specifically criticizes the speed with which the execution followed the final judgment, barring Saddam from any meaningful appeal. He also finds that the mocking Saddam was subjected to during his execution, and the subsequent release of the footage to the world, was a clear violation of human rights laws. The first step towards reform of Iraq’s justice system, according to Alston, would be to halt the execution of Saddam’s co-defendants.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21155&Cr=iraq&Cr1=