Libya announced a three-day mourning period following the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Tripoli called Hussein a “prisoner of war.”
Festivities to mark the ‘Id Al-A’dha holiday were canceled in the country, and flags are flying at half-mast on government buildings.
Hussein was hanged on Saturday morning. He was buried in his hometown, Tikrit, on Sunday.
The execution generated mixed reactions throughout the Middle East.
Iran and Kuwait, both attacked by Iraq during Saddam’s regime, welcomed the execution.
In the Palestinian territories, people from across the political spectrum called the execution a political assassination.
Saddam was a “national Arab symbol,” who supported the Palestinian cause, the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aq’sa Martyrs Brigades said in a statement, adding that the execution was a “Zionist-American crime.”
Leaders in the Middle East, as well as Muslim figures around the world, criticized the timing of the execution, which coincided with the ‘Id Al-A’dha festival, calling the timing insensitive toward Muslims.
Saddam Hussein was a Muslim Sunni.
Some suggested the selected timing was a deliberate humiliation of the Muslims on behalf of the Americans.
Also, the proceedings of the trial were unfair and politicized, Saudi officials said.