Saddam's VP to hang

Baghdad: Saddam Hussain's vice president was sentenced to death by hanging by an Iraqi court on Monday.

It was anticipated that Taha Yassin Ramadan, who is the fourth member of the ousted regime to face death, would be hanged after an appeal court deemed his life sentence too lenient.

Saddam, his half brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim Al Tikriti, and Awad Hamed Al Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were also sent to the gallows for the killings of 148 Shiites after a 1982 attempt on Saddam's life in the mainly Shiite town of Dujail, north of Baghdad.

"I swear to God that I'm innocent, Allah is my supporter and will take revenge on all who treated me unjustly!" Ramadan yelled after the verdict.

On November 5, Ramadan was convicted of murder, forced deportation and torture and sentenced to life in prison. An appeals court, a month later, ruled that the sentence was too lenient and said he should be sentenced to death. The court agreed.

Saddam was hanged on 30 December 2006. Leaked video footage of the execution caused an international outcry.