In August, President Saddam Hussein ordered the cancellation...

In August, President Saddam Hussein ordered the cancellation of the death penalty as a punishment for political offenses "provided that this does not include bombings and terrorist operations which lead to the killing of citizens or officials." This cancellation came on the recommendation of the committee following up on the texts of the arbitrary laws, which was set up by the Iraqi Justice Ministry on the Iraqi President's orders. They added that the recommendation "is the first recommendation among others which will be referred to the Revolution Command Council later, and shows that there are several laws which contravene the Iraqi Constitution." It also excludes sentences passed against military personnel accused of involvement in political activities in the armed forces other than those of the ruling Ba'th Party. Justice Minister Shabib al-Maliki said the committee's work "will not limit itself to examining punitive legislation and the sanctions and measures that this involves, but will also include all the procedures which come within the context of the arbitrary laws with the aim of formulating practical recommendations that would ensure that President Saddam Hussein's orders are carried out." The Iraqi diplomatic sources which have relayed this information said that this step is "the most important" in preparing for the return of pluralist political action in Iraq. Iraqi opposition sources, however, expressed doubts about these reports, which they described as "inaccurate," adding that "they were meant to be leaked in an attempt to improve the Iraqi regime's image."