Defence team praises 'fearless' Saddam

Saddam Hussein "remained fearless, honest, and clear-minded" in his final moments, his legal defence team said today in a statement.

"President Saddam Hussein fell a martyr after he tried his judges before they convicted him," said the statement by Saddam's lawyers who are based in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

"The martyr remained fearless, honest and clear minded," said the statement.

The deposed leader's conviction was determined when Saddam "nationalised oil, built a state based on institutions, and abolished illiteracy".

Iraqi state television showed footage of guards in ski masks placing a noose around Saddam's neck. Saddam appears calm as he stands on the metal framework of the gallows. The footage cuts off just before the execution.

An adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said that Saddam refused to have his head covered with a hood, and before the noose was put around his neck the deposed leader shouted: "God is great! The nation will be victorious and Palestine is Arab!"

Saddam's lawyers said that in the aftermath of his death: "The world will know that Saddam Hussein lived honestly, died honestly, and maintained his principles. He did not lie when he declared his trial null."

Saddam's defence team "will not turn the page of this case and will continue its legal struggle using all domestic and international means" until "all dimensions of this political assassination are revealed".

An Iraqi court convicted the deposed leader on November 5 for his role in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims from Dujail. Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam's appeal on Monday and ordered him executed within 30 days.