Monday, September 25, 2006
Saddam's defense boycott trial
Politics
Saddam Hussein is back in court without his defense team, presided over by the new judge, Mohammed al-Ureybi, who replaced the last judge, Abdullah al-Amiri, accused by the government of being biased because he said, "Saddam was not a dictator".
Lawyers for Saddam and his six co-defendants said on Sunday they would stay away from the court, partly in protest at the Iraqi government's sacking of the chief judge last week. The defense team stormed out of Wednesday's hearing and the chief defense lawyer said on Sunday it would "suspend attending the trial sessions in protest at the judge's behavior". "The court is committing intolerable mistakes -- overtly interfering in the trial procedure and removing and replacing judges," Khalil al-Dulaimi told Reuters.
Saddam and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, dubbed "Chemical Ali" over alleged gas attacks, face genocide charges for what prosecutors say are the deaths of 180,000 Kurds, some poisoned with chemical gas. Five others face charges of murder and crimes against humanity; all seven could hang.
Saddam and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, dubbed "Chemical Ali" over alleged gas attacks, face genocide charges for what prosecutors say are the deaths of 180,000 Kurds, some poisoned with chemical gas. Five others face charges of murder and crimes against humanity; all seven could hang.
