Saddam trial resumes, then postponed

Saddam Hussein harangued the judge at the second session of his trial on Monday before it was adjourned to grant co-defendants time to find ...

Saddam Hussein harangued the judge at the second session of his trial on Monday before it was adjourned to grant co-defendants time to find new counsel after one of their lawyers was killed and another fled Iraq.

After less than three hours of hearings, including videotaped testimony from a witness who has since died, Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin ordered a one-week adjournment until December 5.

Amin cited the need to find new representation for former vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan and former intelligence chief Barzan al-Tikriti. Gunmen killed one of their lawyers and another fled the country.

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Monday’s session began with Saddam displaying the same defiance he showed at the opening of the trial on October 19. Saddam arrived late and then upbraided the judge when asked why. ‘‘They brought me here to the door and I was handcuffed. They cannot bring in the defendant in handcuffs,’’ he said.

Amin ordered the former president and his co-defendants to be unshackled by their guards before they entered the courtroom. Saddam complained he had had to walk up four flights of stairs because of a broken elevator in the courthouse.

‘‘I will tell the police about this,’’ Amin said. ‘‘I don’t want you to tell them, I want you to order them,’’ Saddam replied. ‘‘They are invaders and occupiers and you have to order them.’’ He then argued with the judge about his rights and his jailers’ action in taking away his pen and paper.

Saddam and his co-accused are charged with crimes against humanity in relation to the deaths of 148 men from North Baghdad. — Reuters

THE DUJAIL TRIAL

		It Some questions and answers about the tribunal, its structure, and how the trial is being conducted: WHO’S TRYING SADDAM? Saddam and his co-defendants are being tried before what was originally called the Iraqi Special Tribunal, established in December 2003 by US-led occupation authorities. New statutes making it a body established by Iraq’s elected interim National Assembly and changing its name to the Iraqi High Tribunal. The tribunal consists of two trial chambers with five judges in each. WHO BROUGHT THE CHARGES? The tribunal has 20 investigative judges, led by a chief investigator, who are responsible for gathering evidence against suspects. In Saddam’s case, the evidence of ordering the killing of more than 140 Shiite Muslim men from North Baghdad, after a 1982 attempt on the former president’s life, was gathered by chief investigative judge Raad Jouhi. WHO IS DEFENDING SADDAM AND THE OTHERS? The former president is being defended by a small team of lawyers led by Khalil Dulaimi, an Iraqi with little experience in major criminal cases. However, since the opening of the trial on October 19, two defence lawyers have been shot dead by gunmen and a third has fled the country after threats. Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Najeeb-al-Nauimi, former Justice minister of Qatar, joined the defence at the last minute as international observers. IF FOUND GUILTY CAN SADDAM APPEAL? Yes. The tribunal has a nine-member appeals chamber. The president of the appeals court is also the tribunal president. According to the tribunal statutes, any sentence handed down by the trial judges will have to be carried out within 30 days of all appeals being exhausted. The specific charges in the Dujail case carry a maximum sentence of death. WILL SADDAM TAKE THE WITNESS STAND? Saddam can be called to give evidence in his own defence,but under Iraqi judicial procedures it is the tribunal judges who conduct the examination. WILL SADDAM SEE THE WITNESSES? The marble-lined, chandelier-hung courtroom provides for a screen to be drawn to protect the anonymity of some witnesses. Observers view the court from behind security glass. HOW LONG WILL THE DUJAIL TRIAL LAST? It’s impossible to say. Saddam’s lawyer said that he wanted at least three months to study the evidence against his client.

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