Irans President Khatami opposes death penalty, even for Saddam

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031217/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_saddam_iran&cid=1514&ncid=1473

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites) voiced his opposition to the death penalty, adding that he did not even wish for the execution of captive Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


"I don't like the death penalty, although, if there is one case where there should be an execution, the fairest case would be for Saddam. But I would never wish for that," the president told reporters Wednesday.


"If there is a way for a criminal to have a way out of it, I would not insist on his execution," he added, saying: "I hope that he will have a fair trial and that he will have a fair verdict."


Khatami's comments are believed to be the first time the mid-ranking cleric has voiced his unease with the death penalty, which is liberally handed down by the Islamic republic's hardline judiciary.

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[VermontDem2004]

1. I agree with Khatami

[Blitz]

2. He's such a humanitarian

Just think of all the times he objected to the murder of his own citizens for speaking out against the Iranian theocracy. All those many times . . .

[RPG-7]

3. he's such a totalitarian..

that for some reason there are nearly daily protests in Tehran and no one is getting "murdered for speaking out".

[David__77]

4. too bad he can't abolish the death penalty in Iran.

I have hopes for Khatami. He's still part of the fundamentalist establishment, but he's better, by far, than the old-liners. I just don't think that he can enact his agenda without a real power play against the old guard--that means abolishing the advisory councils and ending the supreme rule of Ayotallah Khamenei.

[RPG-7]

5. He got dealt a bad hand

Bush killed the reform movement with his idiocy and anyone who knows the history of Kermit Roosevelt and his "protesters" and the way he slid the Shah in there can see why people are suspicious of the protesters now.

[Robb]

7. Yeah, but now he's bought and paid for

...They're supplying electricity to Iraq, and will get to have their nuclear reactors OK'd for it.

[Cocoa]

6. compare to Bush's deep thinking

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3328015.stm

And if he does not get the death penalty, will you be disappointed?

Well, I'm...let's just see what penalty he gets. But I think he ought to receive the ultimate penalty for what he has done to his people.

I mean, he is a torturer, a murderer, and they had rape rooms, and this is a disgusting tyrant who deserves justice, the ultimate justice.

But that will be decided not by the president of the United States but by the citizens of Iraq in one form or another.



One of many worthless answers from Bush.