Saddam's trial a joke
 

Even though Iraq is "sovereign" again, Saddam is held by American soldiers, transported by American soldiers, is being tried in a court with the law books written by American administrators, and has been denied access to a lawyer. Now wtf is that. Even Milosevic got a lawyer.
He commited most of his crimes against the Iraqi people so I think it is only fitting that the Iraqi people get to try him to get justice.
Hussein seems like he's being more rational now than ever before.
Not that that means a whole lot, but he's right when he says that his trial is a joke, or 'theatre'.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mlang....points.ap.jpg
I am Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq

I heard that the U.S. is also paying for this trial...75 million or something in that area.

Every time you post I feel like I am watching Forrest Gump.

-Rudey
--Except without all the random things like meeting the president

Who are you reffering to?

Re: Saddam's trial a joke
 

Would you seriously put Saddam in their physical custody given the current security issues? What you say is all very nice and everything, but really... I'm really glad you're not in charge of anything over there. Saddam does have a lawyer. He's an American. What you saw was not a trial. It was a hearing. The Iraqi justice system is not the American justice system. While I'm not expert, I'll bet it's fairly safe to assume that attornies are not required to be at hearings. The trial won't be until next year, and I'm sure Saddam will be adequately represented.

Well, considering the evidence against him, yes, even having the trial is a formality. It's as if I walked up to someone and stabbed them to death while on videotape and in front of many eyewitnesses. As for these crimes, he's guilty as hell. If you're the president of a country that fills mass graves with the civilians you've murdered, then, yes, I think there's a decent case against you.

He will be found guilty because he is guilty.

IowaStatePhiPsi - the farm kid from Iowa with such grandiose hopes and dreams.

-Rudey

I heard he has a team of lawyers or at least people lined up to work on his defense. I didn't know an American is working with him. I'm sure he'll have his citizenship revoked.

If the American was appointed to assist then he won't. And even if he wasn't appointed- what is wrong with a lawyer working for a client?

Didn't say anything was wrong with it. I just don't think there would be too many people here happy about it.

Are you f**cking kidding me?

Get your head out of your A$$ MAN.

Iraq has a 3,000 year old tradition of justice. Just because the judicial procedings don't resemble an American trial, it doesn't mean that it isn't a fair trial.

He has an entire team of lawyers that was hired by his family. They will attempt to try this in the court of public opinion, so I would not rely on what they say as the "truth."

Easy on the personal attack.

Re: Re: Saddam's trial a joke
 

I think its a little more like we watched what you did for years and then passed a law that made everything you did ilegal. So yeah he will be found guilty.

He is guilty because he lost.

I think it would be better to just shoot him. I hate sham trials and mockeries like this.

Re: Re: Re: Saddam's trial a joke
 

So you're suggesting that gassing your own people should be legal under any system?

I'm pretty certain that murder is illegal (and was illegal when it happened) in Iraq.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Saddam's trial a joke
 

Well it depends. I think you are thinking moral versus legal.

He had absolute power so what he did was legal. As far as Iraq as a nation-state is concerned.

I am not saying he is not a bad guy. I am just saying we should just quietly execute him versus creating a sham trial.


But I would have done that at Nuremburgh also, just shot them all and spared us the bad drama.

Well, this isn't a trial. It's still a pre-trial hearing. The trial is months and may even be over a year away.

Quick question, are they using the old criminal code? I know that there isn't a new criminal code as the sovereignty is just being handed over and there is no sitting legislative branch yet.

A frightening thing that Tim Hughes, one of Saddam's lawyers said:

"Any trial in Baghdad will not be fair." Under Iraqi law Saddam remains president of Iraq because he was overthrown in an illegal invasion, Hughes said. Therefore, he said, Saddam still has immunity from prosecution."

***

Here's a quote from the same CNN article I used to get the above clip. It speaks a little about the actual law that's in play here:

"In an interview with CNN, Feisal al-Istrabadi, the principal drafter of the transitional administrative law, was asked about the availability of war crime evidence if Saddam didn't sign documents approving the actions he is suspected of spearheading.

"The crimes of the regimes were not few and were not small in scale. You are talking about mass public executions. For instance in 1969 there were mass public executions on TV of 13 men."

***

So they are currently under some kind of transitional administrative law if that answers your question.

The interview is more about evidence then the criminal codes they are using. My guess is they are going to be using international laws and not really any Iraqi laws. But since the trials wont happen in the near future, they should have new criminal code by then.

The article references Feisal al-Istrabadi, the drafter of the transitional administrative law that I guess is currently in play.

I'm sure they'll have a functional legal system by the time Saddam is brought to trial.

I find it unbelievable that the Saddam's attornies are making the arguments that they are. But honestly, that's probably the best chance he has.

The real dilema is that justice, for the international community, would best be served if the trial took place in the Hague. Then it would be beyond reproach.

There is, however, another very important consideration. The people of Iraq need this trial to be a catharsis. They need to see him come to justice under Iraqi laws, in an Iraqi courtroom, and by Iraqis. There also may be a need for Saddam to be executed, so that any hope for a Napolean like return will be eliminated.

Re: Saddam's trial a joke
 

Moo U -

Saddam has lawyers - he said he wouldn't sign any papers w/out their consult.

The Iraqi people do get to try him, in an Iraqi court - this is what is currently happening (in early stages, obviously).

Being held by american soldiers is 100% a necessity.

Saddam's ravings don't really resemble my definition of 'rational'.

So . . . maybe we need to start over?

-RC
--Glad my brother's pledging D-UP

Just noticed IowaState's allegation that the laws were written by Americans.

Maybe true if Feisal al-Istrabadi is an American.

My mama's cousin & his wife are attorneys, and currently, they're both in Macedonia, where Barbara is a Federal Attorney, teaching the difference between American & European Law. Their letters are incredibly interesting, but Barbara is champing at the bit to be reassigned to Iraq. Her husband would much rather stay in Europe, but he's also very supportive. As he explained, the easiest way to explain the difference is, in Europe, you're guilty until proven otherwise, while we have the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

I don't pretend to know about Iraqi law, but it looks to me that Saddam realizes that he's going to be executed anyhow, so he's just making a statement prior to dying.