After ruling Iraq for a quarter of a century, Saddam Hussein’s sentence of execution by hanging was carried out Dec. 30, 2006.

Although the ruthless leader showed no remorse throughout his trial, up until his sentencing, I hardly think justice was done by hanging him.

Hussein committed a number of crimes, murders and injustices during the years of his dictatorship.

Saddam’s barbaric hanging just put him to rest while the families of victims of many other numerous crimes, other than the Dujail massacre, remain unavenged.

Rather than hanging Hussein, I think they should have kept him locked up until all the families of the victims were at least heard in a trial. It’s not fair that these people will never have got their chance to face the man who brought about their suffering. Now with Hussein in his grave, they will have that chance.

I watched the video clip of Hussein’s hanging that had leaked out from someone’s mobile phone. Hussein looked far from being sorry even as he stood at the gallows with the noose about his neck. You would think he would have showed some emotion before the hour of his death, but he was cold as steel.

Arab news networks, such as Al-Jazeera, mentioned that authorities had given Hussein drugs to calm his nerves before his execution.

I listened as he said his final prayers and then told one of the spectators not to be afraid as if being a brave soldier wanting to soothe the person in front of him. It made me sick.

Hussein was a brutal and cold-blooded murderer who ruled his country by using fear and took his rage out on his own people. He should have served a lifetime sentence in prison in his shame rather than get the swift execution, which put him to rest in the end, while the people who weren’t even heard will never get their closure.

Had Hussein remained alive and tossed in prison, he would have had the rest of his life to think about the cruelties he committed to his people.

His alone would have been worse than a hundred hangings. From being the leader of one of the wealthiest empires in history to being nothing more than a common criminal serving time in a filthy cell would have been true justice in my eyes. Who knows, he could have even had the opportunity to repent for all he had done.