Former Vice President of Iraq Executed

It's official. The vice-president of Iraq from 1991 to 2003 has been hanged and is now dead, although human rights groups from around the world protested the execution, especially since the problems rose surrounding executions of the other two deputies in Saddam Hussein's regime. Apparently one of the executed four, Saddam's half brother, Barzan Ibrahim, was inadvertently decapitated on the gallows during the process.

The inadvertent decapitation ignited a new anger among the Sunni members, as well as human interest groups around the globe, who are speaking against not only the executions, but also the trials of the four defendants, stating that they were not allowed the right to due process in their court cases.

Taha Yassin Ramadan became the fourth man to be executed for his part in the killings of 148 Shiites in 1982, early this morning in an Iraqi prison. An anonymous official who witnessed the hanging commented that preventative measures had been taken in order to provide Ramadan a more humane fate than that of Barzan Ibrahim.

The official went on to say that the execution of the 70 - year old former Iraqi Vice - President was videotaped and flawless. He said that Ramadan seemed afraid, and recited "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet," two shahadahs which are statements of faith chanted by Muslims.

Although Ramadan had been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, an appeals court believed the sentence to be too relaxed as payment for his part in the murders, forced deportations, and tortures of the Shiites in 1982. They returned his case to the High Tribunal, and that court subsequently sentenced him to death by hanging.

Ramadan maintained innocence throughout the trial process, though he was a Revolutionary Command Council Member, being Iraq's highest political body, second only to Saddam Hussein, himself.