[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[November 5, 2006]
[Pages 2018-2019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's Trial Verdict From Waco, Texas
November 5, 2006

    Today Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death by the 
Iraqi High Tribunal for the massacres committed by his regime in the 
town of Dujayl. Saddam Hussein's trial is a milestone in the Iraqi 
people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law. 
It's a major achievement for Iraq's young democracy and its 
constitutional Government.
    During Saddam Hussein's trial, the court received evidence from 130 
witnesses. The man who once struck fear in the hearts of Iraqis had to 
listen to free Iraqis recount the acts of torture and murder that he 
ordered against their families and against them. Today the victims of 
this regime have received a measure of the justice which many thought 
would never come.
    Saddam Hussein will have an automatic right to appeal his sentence. 
He will continue to receive the due process and the legal rights that he 
denied to the Iraqi people. Iraq has a lot of work ahead as it builds 
its society that delivers equal justice and protects all its citizens. 
Yet history will record today's judgment as an important achievement on 
the path to a free and just and unified society.

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    The United States is proud to stand with the Iraqi people. We will 
continue to support Iraq's unity Government as it works to bring peace 
to its great country. We appreciate the determination and bravery of the 
Iraqi security forces who are stepping forward to defend their free 
nation. And we give our thanks to the men and women of America's Armed 
Forces, who have sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom in Iraq. 
And they've sacrificed for the security of the United States. Without 
their courage and skill, today's verdict would not have happened. On 
behalf of the American people, I thank every American who wears the 
uniform, I thank their families, and I thank them for their service and 
their sacrifice.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 1:17 p.m. at the Texas State Technical 
College Waco Airport. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of these remarks.