|
Saddam trial to resume; Clark arrives
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-28 06:44
Iraqi law permits foreign lawyers to act as advisers but requires that those
arguing cases in court must be members of the local bar association.
Clark, who served as attorney general under President Johnson, wrote last
month that Saddam's rights had been systematically violated since his December
2003 capture, including his right "to a lawyer of his own choosing."
Clark and others say a fair trial is impossible in Iraq because of the
insurgency and because, they argue, the country is effectively under foreign
military occupation. U.S. and Iraqi officials insist the trial will conform to
international standards.
Still, the trial has unleashed passions in an Iraqi society deeply divided in
its judgment of Saddam and his rule.
Many of the Sunni Arab insurgent groups include Saddam loyalists, including
members of the former ruling Baath party and veterans of both Saddam's personal
militia and the Republican Guard.
One of the last three giant remaining statues
depicting former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is seen covered with dust
and dry mud, at US army base inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green
Zone.[AFP] | The ousted leader, meanwhile, is vilified by Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority
and its Kurdish community, which were oppressed during his rule.
On Saturday, hundreds of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
rallied in Baghdad to demand Saddam's execution.
Separately, the leader of the biggest Shiite party, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim,
accused the court of "weakness" for not having sentenced Saddam to death
already. He also complained that media attention over allegations of torture by
the Shiite-led security services had belittled Saddam's alleged crimes.
"The court will need all of its strength to resist the pressure," said
Miranda Sissons of the International Center for Transitional Justice, an
observer at the trial.
In an interview with a German magazine, chief judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin said
he pondered moving the trial to Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq because of poor
security in Baghdad. Iraqi law provides legal steps for moving the court
elsewhere in the country.
However, Amin, a Kurd, said he decided the capital was secure enough for
"regular and fair proceedings," even if "they are admittedly difficult."
|
