in december 2003, reacting to u.s. treatment of saddam hussein, including the release of video showing his teeth being inspected "like a cow", he said: "i felt pity to see this man destroyed. seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, i had a sense of compassion for him." on 6 november 2006, after hussein had been sentenced to death, martino said that "...punishing a crime with another crime – which is what killing for vengeance is – would mean that we are still at the point of demanding an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..." he pleaded for clemency for hussein and called for a peace conference aimed at solving all the major conflicts in the middle east and reiterated his position that invasion of iraq by u.s.-led coalition was wrong.