Saddam's Sons Reburied; Former VP Faces Execution
The bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons and a grandson have been reburied near the former Iraqi leader's burial site. And an appeals court in Baghdad has upheld a decision to execute a former Iraqi vice president who was tried alongside Saddam Hussein.
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STEVE INSKEEP, host:
Here are two other stories we are following in Iraq. The bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons have been reburied. Uday and Qusay Hussein were put back to rest near their father's gravesite. So was Saddam Hussein's grandson, a 14-year-old who died in battle shortly after the fall of the regime in 2003.
The head of Hussein's tribe said the bodies were moved to honor the family's wishes and he denied any political motivation. They were placed next to Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law and a former chief judge. Both of them were convicted and hanged last year in the same trial that found the former Iraqi president guilty of crimes against humanity.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
In that trial, Saddam Hussein was convicted of the killings of 148 Shias in the village of Dujail. Former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan was tried along with him and a special tribunal sentenced him to life in prison. But the country's high court later ruled that the sentence was too lenient and handed down the death sentence.
Yesterday, an Iraqi appeals court upheld that decision. Under Iraqi law the hanging must take place within 30 days of the ruling, but the judge said it could be carried out at any moment.
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