Bad People

22. The Butcher of Baghdad: Would you kill a dictator?

The former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was implicated in the killing of between 50,000 and 100,000 people.
 
In 2006, he was sentenced to death by hanging for committing crimes against humanity.
 
But do his crimes justify his death? Should we be writing him off as evil or is it worth trying to empathise with him? And does revenge actually make us feel good in the long run?Warning: This episode contains strong language and descriptions of violence
 
Presenters: Dr. Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen 
Producers: Louisa Field &amp; Caroline Steel
Assistant Producer: Simona Rata
Artwork: Kingsley Nebechi
Music: Matt Chandler
Series Editor: Rami TzabarAcademic Consultants for The Open University: 
Dr. Zoe Walkington
Dr. Camilla ElphickCommissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason PhippsBad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds #BadPeople_BBC

Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw makes a return to the series with a new co-host: journalist Amber Haque. Each episode tells the story of a true crime and explains why people do bad things. Murder, blackmail, fraud and much more. Listen every Thursday. Bad People is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Sounds.