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Saddam: 'I am not afraid of execution'
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-06 06:56
When Mohammed objected to some of Saddam's remarks, the former president
snapped: "Do not interrupt me, son."
"If it's ever established that Saddam Hussein laid a hand on any Iraqi, then
everything that witness said is correct," he said.
The hearing 錕斤拷 only the third since the trial began Oct. 19 錕斤拷 began with the
defense challenging the court's legal basis as well as security guarantees
following the assassination of two of its members.
Clark tried to address the court on these issues, but Amin ruled that only
Saddam's chief attorney, al-Dulaimi, could speak. That prompted the defense team
to walk out despite a warning from the chief judge that he would appoint
replacement attorneys.
"You are imposing lawyers on us," Saddam shouted, gesturing with one arm and
cradling a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the other. "They are
imposed lawyers. The court is imposed by itself. We reject that."
When the judge explained that he was ruling in accordance with the law,
Saddam snapped: "This is a law made by America and does not reflect Iraqi
sovereignty."
After the walkout and a 90-minute recess to resolve the issue, the court
reconvened and Amin allowed Clark and former Qatari Justice Minister Najib
al-Nueimi to speak on the questions of the legitimacy of the tribunal and safety
of the lawyers.
Saddam's repeated outbursts found a receptive audience among some Sunni Arabs
who watched on television. His shows of defiance tapped into Sunni resentment of
the new order in Iraq, in which their once-ruling minority community is now
dominated by the Shiite Muslim majority and the Kurds.
"These are the real men of Iraq, not those who hide behind their bodyguards,"
Jinan Mushrif, a 49-year-old Baghdad housewife, said with a laugh.
But not all were impressed. Qassem Abdul Razzaq, a 66-year-old lawyer, said
the chief judge 錕斤拷 Amin, a Kurd 錕斤拷 was not firm enough in preventing Saddam's
outbursts.
The judge "is trying to be more just than justice itself. He should be
putting some restrictions for the defendants and their team," Razzaq said. The
session only boosted Saddam's morale, he said. "He is stronger and even looked
healthier."
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