Saddam's trial and catharsis

I have been reading George Szirtes' blog and stumbled upon a post about Saddam's trial.

John Simpson says on radio that the trial of Saddam was bound to turn him into a martyr, couldn't possibly have been fair, and, like the election - he says - cannot have been cathartic. Waste of time, in other words.

I am not sure what catharsis has to do with it but the argument seems to suggest that there was no point in a trial since there is never any point in a trial, since trials turn people into martyrs.

And more. I, however, being careful with long words in English, stuck my nose into a dictionary:

Noun: catharsis

1. (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
2. Purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels

After all, there could be some room for catharsis, it seems...

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