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LONDON - Gordon Brown, the man tipped to succeed Tony Blair as British Prime Minister, has condemned the manner of Saddam Hussein's execution as "deplorable" and "completely unacceptable".
His forthright condemnation, in an interview on BBC television, contrasts with Blair's silence on the issue.
Leaked mobile phone video footage showed Saddam being taunted and mocked as he stood on the gallows.
Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, echoed comments by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott last week. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, dogged by charges he was softening UN opposition to capital punishment, weighed in again on the issue, urging a stay of executions in Iraq.
Rome lit up the arches of its ancient Colosseum at dusk to protest against the death penalty after Saddam's hanging, with the mayor calling it the city's symbol to the world for human rights.
- AFP, REUTERS
