The execution was held on the first day Sunni Arabs observe the Eid al-Adha holiday and just four days after the appeals section of the Iraqi High Tribunal confirmed Saddam’s death sentence.
The execution sidestepped an Iraqi law prohibiting executions on holidays by holding the execution before dawn, when Eid al-Adha begins.
Another law requiring the signatures of the president and two vice presidents on any death warrant was struck down as not applying to any sentence handed down by the Iraqi High Tribunal, clearing another hurdle for the execution as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, an opponent of the death penalty, had stated in the past that he would not sign any such warrant.
More details can be found at jurist.law.pitt.edu.
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