Now Iraqis Have a "Trial of the Century"

[Azred]

Naturally, the news story may be found here.

from the article: BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A defiant Saddam Hussein quarreled with judges and scuffled with guards at the opening of his long-awaited trial Wednesday, rejecting the tribunal's right to judge him and insisting he is still the president of Iraq. Sitting inside a white pen with metal bars, Saddam appeared gaunt and frail and his salt-and-pepper beard was unkempt as he pleaded innocent to charges of murder, torture, forced expulsions and illegal detentions. He wore a suit with a white shirt and no tie. Gone were the Homburg hat, the cigar, the shotgun fired from a reviewing stand. So were a few pounds after nearly two years in an American military prison. Still, the swagger and the smirk remained, the bearing of a man accustomed to 23 years of unchallenged power. If convicted, the 68-year-old Saddam and seven of his regime's henchmen who appeared with him in the hearing could face the death penalty for their role in the 1982 killing of nearly 150 people from the mainly Shiite town of Dujail north of Baghdad after a failed attempt on Saddam's life. Iraqis and much of the Arab world watched glitchy television coverage of the proceedings intently, watching Saddam strike a pose reminiscent of the once-ubiquitous television pictures of him sitting at the head of a table surrounded by "yes" men. "Since the fall of the regime, we have been waiting for this trial," said Aqeel al-Ubaidi, a resident of Dujail. "The trial won't bring back those who died, but at least it will help put out the fire and anger inside us." Wednesday's session, held under tight security, was testy from the start, when the judge asked Saddam to take the stand first. As the courtroom fell silent, Saddam got up from his chair and took the podium, holding a copy of the Quran. He refused to state his name for the record and turned the question back on the presiding judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd whose identity was revealed to the public only on the day of the trial. "Who are you? I want to know who you are," Saddam demanded. "I do not respond to this so-called court, with all due respect to its people, and I retain my constitutional right as the president of Iraq," he said, brushing off Amin's attempts to interrupt him. "Neither do I recognize the body that has designated and authorized you, nor the aggression because all that has been built on false basis is false." After repeatedly refusing to give his name, Saddam finally sat. Amin read his name for him, calling him the "former president of Iraq." "I said I'm the president of Iraq," Saddam snapped back. "I did not say deposed." Later, Saddam stood, smiling, and exchanged greetings with other defendants during a break in the proceedings. He then asked to step out of the room, but when two guards tried to grab his arms to escort him out, he angrily shook them off. The guards, wearing blue bulletproof vests, tried to grab him again, and Saddam struggled to free himself. Saddam and the guards shoved each other and yelled for about a minute. In the end, he was allowed to walk independently out of the room, with the two guards behind him.

The judge needs to remember that Saddam knows how to present himself when media attention is nearby; he learned how during decades in office. Displaying defiance and strength here will go a long way to convicing some Iraqis that his side of the story is true. Of course, the rest of recall the man who was cowering in a spider hole trying not to be found.

As with all such political trials, his supporters will accuse the judge of presiding over a "kangaroo court", especially if he is found guilty; they'll claim the verdict was already determined by Bush, that evidence is falsified, and that the trial was just to drag his name through the dirt. The typical three-ring circus we're used to here, the likes of which Baghdad probably hasn't had before.

[Chewbacca]

It is not only Saddam supporters who do question these proceedings.

In fact I find the irony of the facade that Saddam could ever get a fair trial in a Shite/Kurdish controlled Iraq is brilliant.

Whether he's guilty or not I find it hard to imagine anyone who prefers even just the appearance of impartial judicial process whole-heartedly supporting these "trials".

An international forum would have been more appropriate to establish truth and dole out justice, or at least a passable appearance of such.

[ 10-20-2005, 12:38 AM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[Azred]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: It is not only Saddam supporters who do question these proceedings. In fact I find the irony of the facade that Saddam could ever get a fair trial in a Shite/Kurdish controlled Iraq is brilliant. Whether he's guilty or not I find it hard to imagine anyone who prefers even just the appearance of impartial judicial process whole-heartedly supporting these "trials". An international forum would have been more appropriate to establish truth and dole out justice, or at least a passable appearance of such.

I can't disagree with you on this one. There are two groups of people in Iraq: those who would like to see him torn to bits by wild dogs and those who would cut their own throats for him. There are no people who are ambivalent towards him, which is required to form an impartial jury.

As much as I dislike international panels of anything, I can readily agree that Saddam will get a "fair" trial only if he were being charged in front of a group of judges from countries that didn't have much interaction with Iraq over the years. Iceland, the Czech Republic, Morocco, Taiwan, etc.

Oh, well...let's just heat the popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]