Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched through the streets of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, calling for ousted leader Saddam Hussein's execution.
"Saddam is a war criminal, not a POW ... execute Saddam," the 5,000-strong crowd chanted. It was believed to be the first public demonstration in Iraq to demand death for Saddam since he was captured by US soldiers last month.
Meanwhile, a similar protest was held on Tuesday in the southern Shiite city of Najaf, where hundreds of people marched through the streets.
The rallies were far smaller than one Monday in which nearly 100,000 Shiites marched in Baghdad to demand early, direct elections, rejecting a US plan for handing over power on July 1 to an unelected Iraqi provisional government.
Demonstrators carried posters of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, the son of a cleric killed in 1999 by Saddam's agents, while marching to central Baghdad's Firdos Square. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
