That it will take some time to uncover the depth and extent of Saddam's crimes is a fact widely accepted by political experts. The known actions of Saddam Hussein during his thirty-year plus reign demanded the attention of the world. During his time as the leader of Iraq he slaughtered thousands, imprisoned many more, and systematically prevented Iraqi citizens from enjoying any measure of freedom. He has threatened neighboring countries, refused to comply with U.N. mandates, and decorated his palaces at the expense of food and water for his people.
Saddam's crimes against humanity are recorded in recent history. In 1988, he ordered the genocide of thousands of Kurds. His soldiers carried out the order using both conventional and chemical weapons. His ideas of "just" punishment include feeding those who oppose him to packs of hungry dogs, forcing individuals to watch the execution of family members, killing members of his own cabinet who fail to give him the "correct" answer, and torturing and imprisoning those who speak out against the regime (Dickey et al. 48-50).
To ensure continuation of his legacy, Saddam exposed his two sons to cruelty at a very young age. Today, Uday and Qusay Hussein are known for surpassing their father in human rights abuses. For example, Uday is widely known for picking women off of the street and raping, torturing, and finally killing them. He built his reputation by torturing members of his Olympic committee when they failed to win a soccer game and by executing thousands of Shiites in Basra in 1991. Qusay Hussein helped his brother curb the Basra uprising with mass executions and torture. Additionally Qusay devised a "cleansing program" whereby prisoners were arbitrarily executed in order to make room for new prisoners (Dickey et al. 50). The above atrocities are those known by the world. It must be assumed that Saddam and his sons" committed many more crimes that will be revealed as people in Iraq become more secure in their freedom.
