The film of yesterday's execution of Saddam Hussein's two co-defendants was
shown by the Iraqi government, in which his half-brother was beheaded by the
noose.
The film shows the two co-defendants, Saddam's half brother Barzan Ibrahim,
and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court,
both wore orange jumpsuits and were given hoods.
The government film was silent but officials said there was no disturbance in
the execution chamber like the taunting that occurred at Saddam's hanging. The
chamber was apparently the same one where Saddam was hanged.
Iraqi officials said they had decided not to distribute any part of the film
to the public--unlike footage it showed of Saddam standing on the gallows.
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters the hanging of
the two men was "an Iraqi decision, an Iraqi execution."
As soon as the Iraqi government spokesman, announcing the executions,
revealed what he called the "rare" mishap of the decapitation, some Sunni
leaders voiced suspicions that officials had mutilated the body of Barzan.
The execution came two weeks and two days after Saddam's execution on Dec.
30, which drew a mixed reaction from around the world.
On Jan. 6, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Iraq to suspend the
execution of "those whose death sentences may be carried out in the near
future."