IRAQ'S Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said he expects toppled leader Saddam Hussein to be executed before the end of the year. Saddam was sentenced on Sunday by an Iraqi court to hang for crimes against humanity. "We are waiting for the decision of the appeals court," Mr al-Maliki told the BBC. "If it confirms the sentence it will be the government's responsibility to carry it out. We would like the whole world to respect Iraq's judicial will. I expect the execution to happen before the end of this year." An appeal court has the power to overturn the verdict or change the sentence, such as commuting it to life imprisonment. Legal experts and officials have said it could be months before appeals are exhausted. Mr al-Maliki, a member of the majority Muslim Shiite community persecuted under Saddam's Sunni-dominated rule, said after the verdict was announced that the fallen dictator had got "what he deserved".