COUNCIL OF EUROPE OPPOSES DEATH PENALTY FOR HUSSEIN

the Council of Europe warned that it's futile and wrong to execute the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, as it could send a message that the new Iraq is to be built on vengeance.
In separate statements, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene van der Linden and the Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis called on Iraqi authorities not to execute Hussein.
"The crimes committed by Saddam Hussein are appalling, and it is right that he be judged and punished," said PACE President Rene van der Linden. "But today's sentence of the death penalty sends a dangerous message to the region: that the new Iraq is to be built on vengeance rather than respect for fundamental human values. Iraq today does not need more death. Capital punishment is wrong and appeal to Iraqi authorities not to carry out the sentence."
The Council of Europe's Secretary General Terry Davis opposed Hussein's execution, saying it would be "futile and wrong" to execute Saddam Hussein, whom he called a "ruthless dictator" who must pay for his crimes.
"What Iraqi people need is justice not retribution. A country ravaged by violence and death does not need more violence; and especially not a state orchestrated execution. Saddam Hussein is a criminal and should not be allowed to become a martyr," said Davis.