Decapitation suspicions follow Iraq executions

The
hangman’s noose came before dawn today for Saddam Hussein’s
half-brother and the former chief of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court, and
the action didn’t pass without controversy, reports say.

The Associated Press has the major detail:
“In confirming the executions, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said
the head of one of the accused, Barzan Ibrahim [the half-brother], had
been severed during the hanging in what he called ‘a rare incident.’
But he stressed that all laws and rules were respected during the
proceedings, choosing his words carefully after Saddam’s execution
became an unruly scene that brought worldwide criticism of the Iraqi
government. “

A leading Sunni legislator is accusing the government of mutilating the body, the AP says. Reuters finds more widespread suspicion in Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, but the wire service also notes research finding decapitation to be possible in such a hanging.

BBC News has an eyewitness account of the incident.
“One of those present, public prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi, told the
BBC that when the trap door opened, he could only see the rope
dangling. ‘I thought the convict Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti had escaped
the noose. I shouted that he’s escaped the noose, go down and look for
him. I went down a few steps ahead of the others to see: I found out
that his head had separated from his body.’ “

Update at 9:24 a.m. ET: Government officials have now screened the hanging’s official video for reporters but say they will not release it, the AP reports.
“We will not release the video, but we want to show the truth,” a
government spokesman says. “The Iraqi government acted in a neutral
way.”