Russia's parliament warned on Wednesday that carrying out the death sentence imposed on former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could provoke a new wave of violence in Iraq.
The lower house of the Russian parliament, controlled by a pro-Kremlin party that supports President Vladimir Putin, said in a statement that the use of foreign force in Iraq had failed for the people of Iraq.
A U.S.-backed Iraqi court sentenced Saddam to death by hanging on Nov. 5 for crimes against humanity.
"Carrying out the death sentence would not resolve the current problems of the long-suffering Iraqi people and could give rise to new ones, and lead to a new phase of harsher confrontation, revenge and hostility," the Duma said.
"Any steps which could lead to the escalation of the violence and the deepening of the current domestic Iraqi divisions not only contradict the vital interest and needs of Iraqi society but also seriously destabilise the situation in the region as a whole," the statement said.
The 351 deputies present passed the statement unanimously.
Russia opposed the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq and Putin has joked about what senior Russian officials see as a chaotic lack of democracy in Iraq.