Awad Hamed al-Bandar
Encyclopedia
Awad Hamad al-Bandar (January 2, 1945 - January 15, 2007) was an Iraq
i chief judge under Saddam Hussein
's presidency. He was the head of the Revolutionary Court which issued death sentences against 143 Dujail
residents, in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on the president on July 8, 1982 (a year before the U.S. assumed diplomatic ties with Hussein to help thwart their common enemy: Iran). At the Al-Dujail trial the Iraqi Special Tribunal tried al-Bandar for crimes against humanity for issuing the death sentences. On November 5, 2006, al-Bandar was sentenced to death by hanging along with co-defendants Hussein and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
, who was beheaded as a result of the hanging.
The United States claimed that it did not have helicopters available to fly the remaining two to the place of execution; the Iraqi government later said that they did not have time.
On January 3, 2007, an Iraqi government official told the Associated Press that preparations were under way to hang Saddam's half-brother al-Tikriti, a former intelligence chief, and al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court on Thursday January 4, 2007. Both were hanged before dawn on January 15, 2007. They were pronounced dead at 3:05 AM (0005 UTC). Al-Bandar's legal counsel was not allowed to attend. Hussein and his cousin al-Tikriti were also not allowed to have their lawyer present when they were executed.
Al-Bandar's defence counsel comprised:
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i chief judge under Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's presidency. He was the head of the Revolutionary Court which issued death sentences against 143 Dujail
Dujail
Dujail is a small Shia town in the Salah ad Din Governorate. It is situated about north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, and has approximately 10,000 inhabitants. It is the site of the 1982 Dujail Massacre....
residents, in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on the president on July 8, 1982 (a year before the U.S. assumed diplomatic ties with Hussein to help thwart their common enemy: Iran). At the Al-Dujail trial the Iraqi Special Tribunal tried al-Bandar for crimes against humanity for issuing the death sentences. On November 5, 2006, al-Bandar was sentenced to death by hanging along with co-defendants Hussein and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
Barzan Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti was one of three half-brothers of Saddam Hussein, and a leader of the Mukhabarat, the Iraqi intelligence service...
, who was beheaded as a result of the hanging.
Execution
The sentence was widely expected to be carried out on December 30, 2006, shortly before 6:00 AM Iraqi local time. Hussein was hanged at 6:05 AM Iraqi local time (0305 UTC). Initially, al-Tikriti and al-Bandar were also believed to have been hanged with him. A few hours later, official statements clarified that the executions of al-Bandar and his remaining co-defendant had been postponed to give special significance to the day that Hussein was executed.The United States claimed that it did not have helicopters available to fly the remaining two to the place of execution; the Iraqi government later said that they did not have time.
On January 3, 2007, an Iraqi government official told the Associated Press that preparations were under way to hang Saddam's half-brother al-Tikriti, a former intelligence chief, and al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court on Thursday January 4, 2007. Both were hanged before dawn on January 15, 2007. They were pronounced dead at 3:05 AM (0005 UTC). Al-Bandar's legal counsel was not allowed to attend. Hussein and his cousin al-Tikriti were also not allowed to have their lawyer present when they were executed.
Al-Bandar's defence counsel comprised:
- Bader Awad Hamed Alsa’doon (Lead)
- Saadoun Sughaiyer al-JanabiSaadoun Sughaiyer al-JanabiKnown as a defence attorney during the Hussein Trials, Saadoun antar nassif al-Janabi was one of two lawyers representing Awad Hamed al-Bandar....
(also: Sa’doon al-Janabi) - assassinated on 20 October 2005.