An Iraqi court sentenced a shaken but defiant Saddam Hussein to hang on Sunday for crimes against humanity, sparking joy for Shi'ites he oppressed and resentment among his fellow Sunnis across Iraq's violent sectarian divide.

Defense lawyers, who said they saw little hope from an appeal in the coming months, dismissed it as "victor's justice".

International human rights groups, which had called for the case to be heard abroad, said the killing of three defense lawyers, the resignation of a judge over political interference and flaws in evidence meant that it fell short of a fair trial.

But U.S. and Iraqi officials hailed the year-long process as proof of the independence of Iraq's judiciary and a new landmark in the development of international war crimes law since Nazi leaders were tried, and some hanged, at Nuremberg 60 years ago.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-11-05T175236Z_01_IBO132069_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml

[Correct, both of the trials were biased and unjustified.]