wfn.org | NCC Statement on the Capture of Saddam Hussein

["Carol Fouke" <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

For Immediate Release
December 15, 2003
New York City

NCC Statement on the Capture of Saddam Hussein

The National Council of Churches USA welcomes the news that Saddam Hussein
has been captured by U.S. forces in Iraq.  As demonstrated by the displays
of celebration in the streets of Baghdad, the arrest of this dictator should
bring to an end the fear that has gripped Iraqis throughout his long reign,
a fear that has lingered throughout these last several months of U.S.
occupation.  It is our hope now for the Iraqi people that freedom will
flourish in their country.

As the next days and weeks unfold, we remind the U.S. government that the
world will be watching to see how we treat our adversaries after they are in
our custody.  This presents at teachable moment in western ideals and
democracy.  We therefore urge the US government not to give in to the
temptation of vengeance or expediency, but to facilitate the prosecution of
Hussein in a manner consistent with the highest accepted international
standards of justice.

As for the court process itself, no trial is possible based on evidence to
date of weapons of mass destruction, or of a link between Hussein and the
terrorism of 9/11 - two reasons many Americans believe we went to war in the
first place.  Prosecution should instead focus on the abundant evidence of
heinous crimes he committed against his own people.  For this, the Iraqis
themselves must play a prominent role in what should be a public trial.

-end-

Media contact: 212-870-2252

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