![]() ![]() Another person he did not name then pulled it a second time, killing him. Rubaie said he pulled the lever to hang Saddam, but it did not work. Just before he was hanged, witnesses taunted him with shouts of "Long live Imam Mohammed Baqr al-Sadr!" and "Moqtada! Moqtada!" - references to an opponent of Saddam who was killed during his rule, and the dead man's relative, who rose to command a powerful militia after 2003. When it was time for Saddam to mount the gallows, his legs were still bound, so Rubaie and others had to drag him up the steps. "He stopped, looked at the gallows, then he looked me up and down. Rubaie then took Saddam to the room in which he was to die. "I took him to the judge's room, where he read the list of indictments, as Saddam repeated: 'Death to America! Death to Israel! Long live Palestine! Death to the Persian magi!'" ![]() "When I brought him, he was handcuffed and holding a Koran," said Rubaie, ignoring the statue of Saddam behind him, which depicts the dictator dressed in a uniform bearing the insignia of his exclusive military rank. Read: Key dates in the life of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's bust on display in the living room of former national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie. Saddam is also held in high regard by some Arabs for his 1980-88 war with Iran, his confrontations with the United States, his strikes against Israel, and his composure during his execution, which was recorded on mobile phone videos. ![]() Some Iraqis, particularly Sunni Arabs, look back fondly on the time of Saddam's rule, especially the periods of internal stability that stand in stark contrast to the brutal violence that has plagued the country since his overthrow. Saddam was executed three years later on Decemafter a summary trial. He was president from July 1979 until the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, and was found by American forces hiding in a hole on a farm in December of that year. Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq for more than two decades marked by brutal repression, disastrous wars and punishing international sanctions, was hanged after being found guilty of crimes against humanity for the 1982 killing of 148 Shiite villagers in Dujail. "A person who is about to die usually says, 'God, forgive my sins - I am coming to you.' But he never said any of that," Rubaie told AFP. "I didn't hear any regret from him, I didn't hear any request for mercy from God from him, or request for pardon. "Of course, some people want me to say that he collapsed or that he was drugged, but these facts are for history," Rubaie said. "He was wearing a jacket and a white shirt, normal and relaxed, and I didn't see any signs of fear. No one entered with us - no foreigners, and no Americans," Rubaie said in an interview with AFP at his office in the Kadhimiyah area of north Baghdad, near the prison where the execution took place seven years ago. The former national security advisor, who oversaw Saddam's 2006 execution, said he remained strong until the end, and never expressed any regret. Mowaffak al-Rubaie sits in his office with a statue of Saddam Hussein behind him, the rope used to hang the dictator around its neck, recalling his final minutes. ![]()
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