November 5, 2006 -- Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging for the mass killings of Iraqi civilians.

 The judgement comes after months of stormy proceedings to establish Hussein’s guilt in ordering the executions of 148 men and boys from the village of Dujail in 1982 following a failed assassination attempt against him.

The court read out the death sentence for Hussein today as Baghdad and much of central Iraq was under tight security to prevent revenge attacks.

The judge sentenced Hussein and two of his aides to death by hanging for their roles in the killing of 148 Shi'ite villagers after a failed assassination bid on Hussein in 1982.

As Judge Raouf Abelrahman read out the verdict, Hussein interrupted him with shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Great) and "Long live the nation."

Other Verdicts

One of Hussein’s two aides who will be executed is Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti. He is Hussein's half-brother and former head of Hussein’s Mukhabarat intelligence service.

The other aide who will be executed is the Ba'athist regime’s former chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bander.

Former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was given life in prison for his part in ordering the killings of the villagers.

Three other former Ba'ath party officials were sentenced to 15 years in prison for their roles.

And one former official was freed for lack of evidence.

Hussein's verdict was the last in the series of judgements to be read out today, maintaining suspense to the end over how the former leader would be punished.

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