DUSHANBE, January 3, Asia-Plus -- I was very sorry to hear about execution of Saddam Hussein, Muhiddin Kabiri, deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) also leader of the Islamic revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.   

“Although the sentence was passed there was still a hope that the execution will be commuted to an imprisonment for life or at least it will be postponed,” said Kabiri, “I think the United States has a strong influence on the Iraqi authorities and such decisions are made in Washington.”  “Since Washington speaks a lot about rights and values of human being, they could have made another decision because the human life is one of these values,” the IRPT leader said.  

“I was distressed that Saddam Hussein was executed on December 30, on the eve of the Idi Qurbon (Eid al-Adha) festival,” Muhiddin Kabiri said, noting that Saddam Hussein now will remain as a symbol of sacrifice for the political struggle. 

“Of course, nobody can deny that Saddam Hussein had hurt the Iraqi people and Muslims,” said the IRPT leader, “However, this action of the Iraqi authorities and the United States will turn Saddam Hussein from criminal into fighter, the symbol of resistance to aggression.”