The Iraqi High Tribunal on Sunday sentenced a combative Saddam Hussein and two other defendants to death by hanging for a brutal crackdown in 1982 in the Shiite town of Dujail.

There will be automatic appeals for the four who were sentenced to death and life in prison.

CNN International is reporting that the appeals court judge is not held to any sort of time frame, but they are not being very clear about what that means. The vibe I'm getting from it, is that the appeals process will go fairly quickly. By Iraqi law, upon the verdict being upheld, the execution must occur within thirty days.

This begs a few questions.. Will the hanging be done in public? Will cameras be allowed?

Update: The article has been revised since I posted it.

Within 10 days, the court will forward the cases of Hussein and three other defendants to the appellate chamber of the Iraqi High Tribunal. Appeals of death penalties and life sentences are automatic.

Within 20 days after the appeals are made, the prosecution and the defense must submit their documents to the appellate chamber.

A court official told The Associated Press the appeals process was likely to take three to four weeks once the formal paperwork was submitted.