Dec 29 (Reuters) - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is to be hanged for crimes against humanity but secrecy and confusion surround how, where and when it will take place. * According to a penal code dating from Saddam's time in power, a condemned man should be allowed a visit by his family the day before he is hanged, as well as a visit from a cleric. Two of Saddam's half-brothers met him on Thursday. * The execution should be witnessed by a judge, a prosecutor, an Interior Ministry representative, the prison director and a doctor. Saddam's lawyer may also attend if he wants. If he wishes to make a final statement, the judge notes his last words which will be endorsed by the other witnesses. * Although officially held by the Iraqi court, Saddam has been in U.S. custody at Camp Cropper at what was once Baghdad's Saddam International Airport. U.S. generals have headquarters nearby in Saddam's former palaces. He will be hanged by Iraqis but it is unclear when he will be handed over and U.S. military officials say they may withhold information on security grounds. * Saddam could be hanged at Camp Cropper, if authorities want to avoid moving him. However, recent executions have taken place at a "death row" known as the Maximum Security Office in the northern Baghdad suburb of Kadhimiya. Known by U.S. forces as "Camp Justice", the prison is on the site of a once dreaded base for Saddam's own military intelligence agents. * In court, Saddam has appeared wearing a white shirt and dark suit, his hair neatly trimmed and dyed black, a far cry from his dishevelled appearance when he was captured by U.S. troops in December 2003, hiding in a hole near Tikrit. If he is treated like other convicts, he could be hooded and dressed in green overalls with his hands bound behind his back. * A public execution is unlikely, with the government keen to avoid causing political tension. However, many will expect at least visual proof of their former leader's demise, as when U.S. forces published graphic images of his dead sons and showed the bodies to journalists after they were killed in July 2003. * If they wish, the family of the executed man may retrieve the body for burial. Saddam's sons were buried in his home village of Awja, near Tikrit. If they do not, the government will pay for the burial and there will be no funeral.
