Great Britain may refuse to hand over evidence of Saddam Hussein’s crimes to Iraqi prosecutors or permit government staff to testify against the former dictator because of the nation’s opposition to the death penalty. Despite human rights objections from British officials who helped establish the special tribunal that will try Hussein and other senior members of his regime, Iraqis have insisted that capital punishment remain a sentencing option for some crimes. Coalition forces have suspended the death penalty during their occupation of Iraq, but it is anticipated that capital punishment will be reinstated following the return of power to the Iraqi people at the end of June, which is prior to Hussein’s tribunal. “The U.K. government has made it clear that it opposes the use of the death penalty. It will be up to the new Iraqi government to determine whether this punishment will be reinstated following the transfer of authority. After the transfer of power to the new Iraqi government, we will continue to lobby against the death penalty,” said British Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell (pictured). (Scotsman.com News, May 23, 2004) See International Death Penalty.
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Insistence on the Death Penalty May Interfere with Trial for Saddam Hussein. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/insistence-on-the-death-penalty-may-interfere-with-trial-for-saddam-hussein
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Insistence on the Death Penalty May Interfere with Trial for Saddam Hussein.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 3, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/insistence-on-the-death-penalty-may-interfere-with-trial-for-saddam-hussein.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Insistence on the Death Penalty May Interfere with Trial for Saddam Hussein.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/insistence-on-the-death-penalty-may-interfere-with-trial-for-saddam-hussein. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.