BAGHDAD (Reuters)
- Iraqi officials were trying to persuade the chief
judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein not to resign
on Sunday after he announced he would quit in
protest at government interference with the court.
``The government has sent a delegation to see him
because they are afraid of the damage this will do
to the credibility of the tribunal,'' one of the
prosecutors in the trial, Mumkidh Taklif al-Fatlawi,
told Reuters.
The killings of two defense lawyers have already
prompted questions over the U.S.-backed decision to
hold the trial in the midst of bitter sectarian and
ethnic conflict.
A source close to Kurdish judge Rizgar Amin himself
told Reuters that tribunal officials were trying to
talk him out of his decision but he was reluctant to
stay on because Shi'ite leaders had criticized him
for being ``soft'' on Saddam in court.
``He tendered his resignation to the court a few
days ago but the court rejected it. Now talks are
under way to convince him to go back on his
decision,'' he said on Saturday. ``He's under a lot
of pressure, the whole court is under political
pressure.
``I am not sure if he will go back on his
decision,'' said the source, who is familiar with
Amin's thinking. ``He had complaints from the
government that he was being too soft in dealing
with Saddam. They want things to go faster.'' |
Rizgar Amin, Chief judge in the trial of Saddam
Hussein
Photo : AFP
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The last straw, the source said, was a letter
criticizing his handling of the trial from radical
Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, whose movement is
part of the ruling Islamist bloc.
The judge planned to explain his reasons for
resigning after chairing the next hearing on January
24, the source said.
Government and tribunal spokesmen were not
available.
CREDIBILITY BLOW
Technically the departure of the presiding
magistrate on the five-judge panel can be overcome
by appointing a substitute. But even if he stays,
the complaints about government interference from
Amin, the much-televised face of the court, may do
lasting damage to the credibility of the
U.S.-sponsored High Tribunal.
Only one other judge has allowed his face to be
shown on television -- and only Amin has let his
name be published.
The killing of two defense lawyers had already
highlighted problems with the process amid a virtual
civil war between Saddam's fellow minority Sunni
Arabs and the U.S.-sponsored government, run by
Shi'ite Muslims and ethnic Kurds intent on quickly
hanging a man they say massacred their peoples.
International human rights lawyers have urged U.S.
officials and the new Iraqi government to send
Saddam and his aides to an international court
abroad while the defense has branded the proceedings
``victor's justice'' imposed under U.S. occupation.
``The defense team has long warned about the dangers
of political pressure that has undermined the
court's independence and integrity,'' Saddam's chief
attorney, Khalil Dulaimi, said, praising the ``high
moral authority'' of the presiding judge. ``We
expect the political pressures to mount,'' he told
Reuters.
Miranda Sissons, who has observed the trial for the
New York-based International Center for Transitional
Justice, said that if Amin quit it would signal that
political pressure on the tribunal has had an
effect.''
In the first trial, which has sat for seven days
since October 19 and is due to resume on January 24,
Saddam and seven others are charged with crimes
against humanity in the deaths of over 140 Shi'ite
men after an assassination attempt on Saddam in
1982.
After hearings last month, some observers criticized
Amin for allowing Saddam and his co-defendants to
speak at length, making allegations, including of
maltreatment at American hands.
The judge, whose dry wit and courteous manner have
been features of the proceedings so far, rejected
the criticism.
Reuters
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