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Chief Minister decries death sentence to Saddam

Staff Reporter

Says it is a clear case of distorted verdict against Saddam Hussein to placate United States

EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY: SFI activists staging a protest march to the Secretariat against the death sentence to the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. - Photo: S. Mahinsha

CHENTHRAPPINNI (THRISSUR DT.): Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, on Monday, led the protests in the State against the death sentence to the former Iraq President Saddam Hussein.

Inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of Chentrappinni Higher Secondary School, the Chief Minister said it was a clear case of distorted verdict pronounced by the tribunal concerned to placate the U.S. The U.S. should not have any delusion that the fight against imperialism could be decimated by killing people who had taken positions against its imperialist aggressions. In fact, the fight would only get intensified by such vicious, dastardly deeds.

Pointing out that many Latin American countries, once considered puppets of the U.S., had now gained enough strength to pose serious challenges to the imperialist ambitions of that country, Mr. Achuthanandan said America would face a similar predicament in other parts of the globe also, unless it altered its policies.

Many organisations, social activists and intellectuals in the district and elsewhere have come out in the open against the death sentence by issuing statements, sending SMSs, organising rallies and "hanging" U.S. President George Bush in effigies.

Clarity sought

Our Thiruvananthapuram Special Correspondents write:

The Democratic Indira Congress(Karunakaran) (DIC-K) on Monday urged the Union Government to bring more clarity in its stand on Saddam Hussein's death sentence.

The Government should take a strong stand on the execution of the death sentence and uphold its traditional foreign policy, DIC(K) president K. Muraleedharan said in a statement here. India should view this as a human rights issue. He cited the strong stand taken by the Congress and the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when the former President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed, as against the silence maintained by the Morarji Desai Government. However, the current Congress leadership which claimed to be the successor of Indira Gandhi appeared to be unprepared to take a similar stand against the United States.

The Kerala School Teachers' Association (KSTA) will stage dharnas at all district headquarters on Tuesday to protest against the death sentence. In a statement here on Monday, KSTA general secretary A.K. Chandran called upon all sections of teachers to join the campaign against the `imperialist conspiracy' to hang Saddam Hussein.

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) has decided to observe November 8 as a day of protest against the sentence.

In a statement here on Monday, SUCI State secretary C. K. Lukose said marches had been held in different parts of the State to protest against the sentence.

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