Bad timing
My objections to both the death penalty and the unfairness of Saddam’s trial aside, the first day of Eid - a religious festival in which Sunni and Shia Muslims come together in the ritual of the Hajj - is not a good time to execute him. There’s a definite whiff of burying bad news during the Western festive season.
An article from Al Jazeera can be read here.
Further reading
These posts may be related to the one above:

