THE FORMER Bishop of Southampton has defended the decision to hang Saddam Hussein.
The Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill, who is now the Bishop of Lichfield in Staffordshire, claimed that anyone who deliberately killed another person had "immediately fortified his or her right to life".
The Rt Rev Gledhill, who was Bishop of Southampton from 1996 until October 2003, said Saddam's execution could not be criticised because he had a fair trial and the opportunity to appeal.
He added that it would be "wrong to encourage Iraqi democracy on the one hand and to interfere with their government and legal system on the other".
The Bishop added: "If the international community is satisfied that due process has been observed we should hold our peace and pray that order will emerge out of chaos for Iraq and for the Middle East so that, in more stable times, they will be able to have their own discussion about the rights and wrongs of the death penalty."
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