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Saddam storms out of court, rebuked by judge, trial to
resume 1.February |
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Saddam storms out of court, rebuked by
judge, trial to resume 1.February
29.1.2006
By Mussab al-Khairalla
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BAGHDAD, Jan 29
(Reuters) - The trial of Saddam Hussein collapsed
into chaos moments after resuming on Sunday, as the
former Iraqi president and his defence team stormed
out and guards dragged his half-brother from the
courtroom.
The dramatic scenes were played out as a tough new
chief judge, Raouf Abdel-Rahman, tried to stamp his
authority on the court, telling lawyers he would not
allow them to make political statements in the
U.S.-backed court.
"I am the judge and you are the defendant," Abdel
Rahman told Saddam as he checked an outburst by the
former Iraqi president, who complained: "This is an
American court and it's rules are American ... you
cannot force me to stay in court."
Abdel-Rahman is under pressure to deal firmly with
Saddam after the government accused his predecessor,
who resigned two weeks ago, of being too lenient on
the former Iraqi leader. Saddam's courtroom tirades
have dominated proceedings.
The walkouts by Saddam, two co-defendants and their
legal team after verbally sparring with the
no-nonsense Abdel-Rahman, and the judge's expulsion
of a fourth accused, will raise fresh concerns about
the court's ability to stage a fair trial.
Within minutes of the start, Abdel-Rahman ejected
Saddam's former intelligence chief and half-brother,
Barzan al-Tikriti, after he refused to keep quiet
and called the trial "a daughter of a whore". Barzan
was dragged out by court guards.
"This court is not a place for political speeches,"
said Abdel-Rahman, a 64-year-old Kurd.
The chief of Saddam's legal team, Khalil al-Dulaimi,
protested: "this trial is not fair," after which the
defence lawyers walked out.
"If you leave then you can't come back for future
sessions," said Abdel-Rahman. |
New chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman presides over the
trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and
seven co-defendants
Photo: AP
Former dictator Saddam Hussein
Photo : AFP |
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When the judge then tried to impose court-appointed
lawyers on Saddam, the former Iraqi leader turned to
them, and shaking his finger, said: "I reject you.
If you stay here you are evil."
"I want to leave," Saddam, dressed in a dark suit
and a white collared shirt, told the judge.
"Then leave," said Abdel-Rahman.
"It is a tragedy. I led you for 35 years. How can
you lead me out of court? Shame on you," Saddam
said.
He then left the courtoom, and was followed by his
former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, and Awad
Hamed al-Bander, a former chief judge in his
Revolutionary Court.
ORDER RESTORED
Abdel-Rahman was determined not to allow the
walkouts to derail proceedings, calling three new
witnesses, two women and a man. They testified from
behind a light grey curtain, as other witnesses have
done, to conceal their identity.
The four minor Baath party officials who remained in
the court complained they had been left without
legal representation, but Abdel-Rahman said they had
the court-appointed lawyers.
Saddam and seven co-accused are on trial for crimes
against humanity, charged with killing 148 men from
the Shi'ite town of Dujail after a failed bid to
assassinate him there in 1982.
The court has been in turmoil since Kurdish chief
judge Rizgar Amin resigned, complaining of pressure
from the Shi'ite-led government to speed up the
process and be firmer in his handling of Saddam.
The trial has been marred by delays since getting
under way last October. Two members of the defence
team have been murdered, and Amin's original
replacement was accused last week of being a former
member of Saddam's Baath party.
Some human rights groups have criticised the former
U.S. occupation authority's decision to try Saddam
and his aides in Iraq rather than in an
international court. They say subsequent events have
reinforced their view that sectarian and ethnic
conflict make a fair trial in Baghdad hard to
achieve.
Rights group Human Rights Watch said on Friday the
turnover of judges on the panel endangered the
credibility of the trial.
Abdel Rahman is from the town of Halabja, where
5,000 people died in a gas attack during an
offensive by Iraqi forces in 1988, a case that will
probably be the focus of a future trial for
genocide.
Sunday's session was the eighth since the trial
began on Oct. 19. It was due to have resumed last
Tuesday but was postponed for five days amid reports
that some judges in the tribunal were unhappy about
Abdel Rahman's appointment.
Abdel Rahman postponed proceedings on Sunday until
Feb. 1 or Feb. 2, depending on the start of
Muharram, the Islamic new year, which is marked by a
public holiday.
Reuters
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