UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour expressed regret on Monday over the hanging of two of Saddam Hussein's aids, saying the executions may violate international human rights law.

Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half-brother and his former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamad al-Bandar, chief of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were executed on Monday in Baghdad for crimes against humanity, two weeks after the hanging of Saddam.

In a statement, Arbour reiterated her concerns about the fairness and impartiality of their trial before the Iraqi High Tribunal and recalled that under international law the application of capital punishment was only possible under narrow, strictly regulated circumstances.

"The imposition of the death penalty after a trial and appeal proceedings that do not respect the principles of due process amounts to a violation of the right to life," she said.

"In this particular case, not only is the penalty irremediable, it may also make it more difficult to have a complete judicial accounting of other, equally horrendous, crimes committed in Iraq, " she added.

Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court judge and war crimes prosecutor, said bringing to justice those responsible for serious human rights violations was crucial for effective national reconciliation.

"But, to be credible and durable, the fight against impunity must be based on respect for international human rights standards and the rule of law, and must not come at their expense," she stressed.

Source: Xinhua