He said that while none of the judges in the Anfal case have practiced
international human rights law, the panel has "an adviser experienced in working
with international tribunals." The official would not specify the adviser's
nationality but said the person is not an American.
Abdullah al-Amiri, a 54-year-old Shiite who was a judge under Saddam's regime
for 25 years, heads the five-member panel as chief judge.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the
diplomatic sensitivity of the case, said he expected the trial to proceed faster
than the Dujail case and added that more security was being provided for defense
attorneys.
In Monday's session, the court will register the names of the defendants and
read out the decision referring the seven to trial. Then the prosecutor will
give his opening statement, said Raid Juhi, a court spokesman.
Saddam's co-defendants include his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, who allegedly
led Operation Anfal as secretary of the Baath Party's northern bureau.
Al-Majid's alleged role in the operation earned him the name "Chemical Ali" for
the use of poison gas.
Both Saddam and al-Majid are charged with genocide. They also are charged
with war crimes and crimes against humanity, as are the other five defendants.
Also on trial are Sabir al-Douri, former director of military intelligence;
Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai, who was head of the Iraqi army's 1st Corps, which
executed the Anfal military operation; and Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, then the Mosul
governor.
The two other defendants are Hussein Rashid Mohammed, who was deputy director
of operations for the Iraqi military, and Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, then head of
military intelligence's Eastern regional office.
Iraqi officials and rights groups say the precise death count resulting from
Operation Anfal is difficult to determine because of the attacks' scale.
Estimates range from around 50,000 to well over 100,000.
Kurdish legislator Mahmoud Othman, who participated in talks then between the
Kurds and the former regime, said al-Majid in a way gave an estimate of around
100,000.
"I was asking them about the whereabouts of 182,000 missing people whom we
didn't know if they were alive, dead or detained," Othman told The Associated
Press. Al-Majid "got angry and said where did you get these numbers? They're
about 100,000."
About 60 to 120 complainants and prosecution witnesses are expected to appear
before the court. The judges also will review more than 9,000 documents.
Many Kurds say they expect retribution.
"We have been wishing for this for so long _ to see the dictator Saddam
Hussein tried for these horrible crimes," said Othman Hajji Mahmoud, interior
minister in the Krudish region's provincial government.
The trial will be held at the same heavily guarded courthouse in the Green
Zone in Baghdad where the Dujail trial was held.
A verdict in the Dujail trial is expected when that court reconvenes October
16 after an adjournment that began last month.
If Saddam should be convicted and sentenced to death in that case, it is
expected that under Iraqi law he would be dropped from the Anfal case, which
would continue against the other defendants.
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