A condensed account of the crimes of Saddam Hussein, tyrannical ruler of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. As president, he maintained power through the Iran-Iraq War and first Gulf War. During these conflicts, Saddam ruthlessly suppressed Shi'a and Kurdish movements, using chemical weapons on his own people. His rule ended in 2003, when the United States and allies invaded Iraq, claiming that he possessed weapons of mass destruction. Found guilty of murdering his own subjects, he was executed by hanging on 30 December 2006.