Hussein Deputy Reportedly Executed

Mar 20, 11:57 AM

Current Headlines: By Kim Gamel THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD -- The former deputy in Saddam Hussein's government was hanged before dawn today for the killings of 148 Shiites, an official with the Prime Minister's Office said.

Taha Yassin Ramadan, who was Hussein's vice president when the regime was ousted by the U.S.-led invasion that began four years ago today in Iraq, was the fourth man to be executed in the killings of 148 Shiites following a 1982 assassination attempt against the former leader in the town of Dujail north of Baghdad.

The official, who witnessed the hanging but spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made, said precautions had been taken to prevent a repeat of what happened to Hussein's half brother and co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim, who was inadvertently decapitated on the gallows.

Ramadan, who was nearly 70, was weighed before the hanging and the length of the rope was chosen accordingly, the official said.

The execution took place at an Iraqi army and police base that had been the headquarters of Hussein's military intelligence, in a predominantly Shiite district in northern Baghdad. Ramadan had been in U.S. custody but was handed over to the Iraqis before the hanging, the official said.

The prosecutor read out the verdict of the appeals court upholding the death sentence along with Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki's decision to carry it out, the official said, adding that a defense lawyer received Ramadan's written will. The contents were not revealed.

Ramadan appeared frightened and said words that indicated he was remorseful, the official said, although he was not more specific.

Ramadan was convicted in November of murder, forced deportation and torture and sentenced to life in prison. A month later, an appeals court said the sentence was too lenient, and returned his case to the High Tribunal, which sentenced him to death.

Around Iraq, meanwhile, bombs tore through a Shiite mosque during prayers in Baghdad and struck several targets in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk on Monday, killing at least 26 people.

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