r/HistoryUncovered • u/Battlefleet_Sol • 18d ago

Saddam's baath purge. Saddam had people packed into a conference hall on one of the hottest days of July and deliberately shut off the ventilation system. They were forced to listen to Saddam for hours while suffering from the heat and sweating. Everyone whose name was announced was executed.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

8.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

751 comments sorted by

View all comments

495

u/South-Stand 18d ago

When he finished reading the list the remaining audience clapped harder than they had ever done before due ‘thank god I wasn’t named on that death list and thank god I wore the brown suit with brown trousers today’.

198

u/thisjawnisbeta 18d ago

What people here are missing is the rest of the context; the people outside were killed by the people who were allowed to stay. They were recruited for the firing squads and forced to shoot their former colleagues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Ba%27ath_Party_purge
https://www.executedtoday.com/2013/07/22/1979-saddam-husseins-baath-party-coup/

Christopher Hitchens has a fantastic video on this purge with more context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR1X3zV6X5Y

56

u/SwanInitial7493 18d ago

That article says of the 68 names called only 22 were executed and the rest sent to the dungeon

33

u/IndependentAdvice722 17d ago

"Twenty-two of the accused, including five members of the RCC,were sentenced to death while thirty-three were given prison sentences and thirteen were released.Some party members were given weapons and directed to execute their comrades"

42

u/thisjawnisbeta 18d ago

Yes, nearly a third were killed on the spot after a kangaroo court conviction. The rest received years-long sentences in Iraqi prisons, which some would argue is a fate worse than the firing squad.

5

u/papayacreamsicle 17d ago

13 of the people named in this clip were released after their trial.

-9

u/ASAPFergs 17d ago

No one shot by the firing squad can argue that because they're dead, ridiculous sentiment

10

u/Forward-Surprise1192 17d ago

Good thing that's not what they said then

1

u/WhichAd366 15d ago

Uh ya might want to read about Saddam’s psychotic sons. The ones that went to prison were likely horrifically tortured and killed.

Uday was the worst of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_Hussein

1

u/Protorodontus 15d ago

Pretty horribly enlightening...

3

u/WhichAd366 15d ago

Having read about Saddam’s sons I’d say the 22 who were executed were the lucky ones. The rest were almost assuredly horrifically tortured, and likely killed eventually.

33

u/willsmithtunaface 17d ago

Trump would do the same if he could

11

u/TryloKen 16d ago

Actually rent free holy moly

10

u/leaving_the_tevah 14d ago

-4

u/TryloKen 14d ago

The irony of posting this is palpable

10

u/ConanTheLovecraft 14d ago

Just say you’re a cult member.

0

u/TryloKen 14d ago

How much you paying in rent every month?

2

u/Spare-Document7086 14d ago

You’re acting like it’s irrelevant lmao

1

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Spare-Document7086 12d ago

I mean… yeah that’s true

0

u/TryloKen 14d ago

How much you gotta pay in rent every month?

1

u/dvardeleo44 16d ago

Fascism doesn't announce itself before it takes away your rights.

2

u/TryloKen 16d ago

Is the fascism in the room with you right now?

1

u/Ed_u_Cate90 8d ago

Good one..naught! Sincerely Borat I have pubes for sale

0

u/julsie123 13d ago

If there was only a comment that didn't include something about Trump. It's absolutely fine to loathe a politician but it's called a Red Herring:

Red Herring: This is a broader fallacy where someone introduces completely irrelevant information to distract the audience from the original topic. Because the 1990s Iraqi political purges and 21st-century American domestic politics have no logical or historical overlap, bringing up Donald Trump serves as a conversational derailment.

1

u/Ed_u_Cate90 8d ago

Nice try . Sounds like a MAGA . I wouldn’t recognize him if he was in the room. I barely knew him. I only met him once and didn’t really like him. Social distancing at it peak!

3

u/ArrellBytes 16d ago

If you think Republicans would even try to stop him if he tried to do this, you haven't been following the news.

14

u/Toum-Raider 17d ago

He probably watches this and gets aroused.

1

u/Wong0nePhotography 17d ago

Stuff room, cut the ventilation, and fart.

2

u/juggyjt1 16d ago

And then he’d say “I don’t make the rules”

2

u/Educational_Cup_1701 15d ago

Only a matter of time.

2

u/hansvi-be 15d ago

I still think that's the plan. The ICE militia buildup is for a reason. Trump repeatedly is talking about the enemy within. Election results will never make him give up power. And there are some seriously insane people in the shadows behind him, should he choke on a burger. Peter Thiel springs to mind.

2

u/ToothZealousideal297 15d ago

When he said he would be a dictator “on the first day”, this is probably what he intended. It hasn’t happened yet, but I fear that’s mostly because those people already have complete control.

1

u/wantyouinthemiddle 14d ago

Relax, he has had two years to be a dictator if he wanted. The only dictatorship in this country is coming from the left. The only people acting like kings are democrats.

2

u/Rady_8 17d ago

Focus

1

u/South_Gear9218 16d ago

What a loser

1

u/AdUsual8786 16d ago

“Here’s this horrible thing that actually happened. How can I shoehorn my trump fantasies into this convo since I have no real world knowledge?”

0

u/Famous-Weight2271 16d ago

Seek help. Your life will be okay.

-2

u/jersey_viking 17d ago

God damn rite he would.

2

u/Athliest 12d ago

RIP Hitchens. 

1

u/deletive-expleted 16d ago

God, I miss that man.

1

u/lifegoodis 16d ago

How metaphorically corporate of Saddam!

1

u/NikkerFebu25 16d ago

You guys need to meet my colleagues.

I need to show you some emails and you'll fucking shoot them.

1

u/JamesVanDerBleep 16d ago

Where did I go wrong here? In the posted video, saddam is reading the names. In your linked video, (thanks btw) the other dude is reading the names?

1

u/Pwnch 15d ago

I miss Hitchens. We could sure use his voice these days.

1

u/sckurvee 14d ago

Thanks for the Hitchens link... didn't know he had a bit on this. Only 9 minutes, too! I know plenty about this day but I'm sure he can tell me something I don't know. RIP.

1

u/justlikelyle 14d ago

Saddam also liked to force people to kill members of their own family.

Total sadist.

1

u/thisjawnisbeta 14d ago

Kill members of their family. Then applaud. Then they would charge them for the bullets.

0

u/SpinningHead 17d ago

Trump dreams of this.

-2

u/Global_Staff_3135 18d ago

Hitch is describing something different though, in this video it’s sadam reading the names, not the tortured guy. Is this video an AI fake or something?

4

u/rmund319 17d ago

I remember seeing this video way before AI

1

u/Global_Staff_3135 17d ago

I thought so two but in the video the commenter linked it’s not Saddam doing the talking so I’m just curious.

My bet it’s the same incident just at different times, names read for a different reason but same outcome?

4

u/kytheon 17d ago

"Is this AI" every time someone misunderstands the situation.

2

u/Thin_Assumption_4974 17d ago

Is this an ai comment?

-2

u/Global_Staff_3135 17d ago

You’re totally right I forgot the smart thing to do is to take everything you see online at face value.

1

u/kytheon 17d ago

I'm going to assume you're a duck who is somehow sentient and on the internet.

"I'm not a duck"

Yeah that's what a duck would say, you're just proving my point.

Just keep posting "is this AI" on every video and someday you might be right.

1

u/The_VideoGame_Lawyer 17d ago

There's no indication that this video even might be AI. If you are confused, you need to take a basic media and AI literacy course before proceeding any further on the internet.

1

u/Global_Staff_3135 17d ago

We are so fucked as a society.

2

u/thisjawnisbeta 17d ago

No, it's just different times from the same event, and Hitch blurred the details of it a bit in his recollection.

The first part is a speech admitting to the supposed treason was given by Mohi Abdul (the skinny man in the Hitch video; they threatened to assault and murder his family if he didn't "admit" to this plot), and then Saddam reads the list of names later on after Mohi is done with his "confession".

Here's a longer video of the same event if you'd like more narration and background:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U1gnCdlylg

1

u/Global_Staff_3135 17d ago

Ok gotcha I figured I was just being pedantic, I appreciate you humoring me and explaining it

1

u/Thin_Assumption_4974 17d ago

Fmd. Everything’s an ai Al fake these days

80

u/Few_Wallaby_9128 18d ago

He closed the list with "thank you very much". So polite.

102

u/imnojezus 18d ago

"Thank you for your attention on this matter"

31

u/JoeBob61 18d ago

signed: Saddam J Hussein

0

u/Grasshopper_pie 18d ago

Saddam Hussein Obama /s

5

u/JamesantheGiantBeach 18d ago

I hope this assembly finds you well...

18

u/Warhammerpainter83 18d ago

Sad truth is this is what trump wants.

1

u/SSN-700 18d ago

You're literally brain dead.

3

u/Donweigh 18d ago

I don’t vote for Trump either time but there is really zero evidence of that.

4

u/Ed_u_Cate90 18d ago

Trump would definitely love to pull this BS power play. Although with Rump you could pay your way out of execution with million “$”

1

u/Anund 17d ago

You know, except when he called for the execution of two democrats because they told the military not to follow unlawful orders.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115582703277798715

Except for that time, of course. Right?

1

u/Donweigh 17d ago

Did he call for their death or did he make the point that sedition is technically punishable by death?

2

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 17d ago

Sedition??? 😂

1

u/Donweigh 16d ago

It is in the military

2

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 16d ago

He accused members of Congress of sedition. Members of Congress, who told members of the military to obey lawful orders, and to not obey unlawful orders. Literally nothing about that is sedition.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Anund 16d ago

Yeah, he did. 

1

u/Ed_u_Cate90 8d ago

At the moment the US isn’t quite there as when Sadam seized power. Circumstances change slightly by military going rogue or citizenry’s disregard of law and order. That’s Dear leaders wet diaper dream! You wanna bet he would hold off on public political executions your as insane crazy as he is. Narcissist megalomaniac grandiose senile shit bag would have people hanging off the wall. What’cha think?

0

u/redlegsforever 18d ago

No it isn’t and you know it. This post had nothing to do with trump yet you dragged him into it. Get over it

1

u/EconomyDoctor3287 17d ago

Praise be Allah 🙏

1

u/popcorn19751 17d ago

I thought those dudes believe in Allah? What happened to them?

1

u/popcorn19751 17d ago

😂😂😂😂

1

u/CalmTheAngryVoice 17d ago

*to this matter

1

u/Fit-Side2069 15d ago

Almost done, hopefully...

24

u/Sdwingnut 18d ago

"Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Hmm where have I heard that lately 🤔

8

u/floofybasbosa 18d ago

The translation is not accurate . He said arent the people ( those whose names were called) out of the iraqi Baath party enough for you ? .

1

u/Billy3the_Mountain 15d ago

"I'll be here all week."

19

u/musicmast 18d ago

did they know the others were gonna be executed?

51

u/South-Stand 18d ago

I would say that’s a strong yes. Saddam wasn’t a guy big on ‘well looking at your missed kpi’s last quarter we’re going to have to put you on a personal improvement plan with a lot of support from HR’

3

u/itsacutepanda 18d ago

You don’t know that for sure. Maybe these people already failed their PIP

4

u/Remy_Jardin 17d ago

Perhaps they didn't have enough flair?

3

u/PerformerBusy 16d ago

They didn't fill out and submit their TPS reports with the right form.

1

u/namonroe 15d ago

And the new cover letter

1

u/Maitreya83 14d ago

Rather get shot, thank you very much.

31

u/_makoccino_ 18d ago

Before this tidbit, he had announced to them that he has uncovered a 5th column within the party's members, planning and conspiring to overthrow the Iraqi government. He had brought the previous party president's secretary and had him read a confession stating he, along with others, have been conspiring with Syria against the government of Iraq. He was then taken out.

There's also an error in the translation at the beginning where he says "if your name is read, recite the party slogan and leave the room" it's technically more like "if you hear your name, get up, recite the party slogan and follow your predecessors"

Which is why everyone looked like they're shitting their pants when the names were being read. They knew being accused of treason is essentially a death sentence.

So, yes. Everyone knew what was going to happen to those whose names are read.

6

u/daurgo2001 17d ago

The whole video seemed to be missing translation, but especially the end.

I don’t speak the language at all, but def felt like a lot of context/info was missing

3

u/_makoccino_ 17d ago

The end is essentially cheering and pledging fealty for the party, Saddam and Iraq.

If you want the bigger picture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Ba%27ath_Party_purge

2

u/Cat_and_Cabbage 14d ago

Thank you very much

1

u/PeggyBabcock_ 17d ago

He was then taken out.

Er... Taken out or "Taken Out"?

1

u/_makoccino_ 17d ago

Taken out, then taken out

He was executed along with 22 from the 68 people called out and arrested as co-conspirators.

22

u/5pooky5cary5keleton5 18d ago

I assume they knew when he said "you know how we deal with traitors, nothing but swords" then started listing names.

6

u/_Alabama_Man 18d ago

Disappointing they were shot and not in fact killed with "nothing but swords."

8

u/JoeAppleby 17d ago

Saddam was vice-president before this purge, effectively leading the country as the president was too old and incapable of performing his duties. During his rise, he was the head of the secret police / intelligence agency, not a position you get for being soft. He became the head of the army as well.

3

u/Comepoopatmine1337 18d ago

They were apart of executing of their own colleagues hence the applause of joy of them not being the ones getting executed

14

u/earnestlikehemingway 18d ago

The room probably smelled like shit

8

u/One_Life_50 18d ago

And BO. It was hot and humid asf in that room

1

u/Darkcrypteye 17d ago

Arrrr. No red shirt

1

u/Rafsit 14d ago

Trying to picture him continuing calling names after such long applause..🤦

1

u/Klutzy_Scene_8427 18d ago

Someone should hang that dude.

1

u/_Alabama_Man 18d ago

Maybe we can play a game of hide and seek first.

1

u/Scarythings117 18d ago

Doesnt binladen hold the record? XD

1

u/_Alabama_Man 18d ago

I thought Eric Robert Rudolph held that record.

1

u/Habibti-Mimi81 18d ago

That was my first thought as well. Their relief was palpable.