|
Saddam attends his Kurdish genocide trial
despite pledge to avoid hearings
6.12.2006
|
|
|
|
Baghdad - December 6,-- Saddam Hussein
attended his trial for genocide against the Kurds on
Wednesday, a day after he wrote to the chief judge
that he no longer wants to go to court.
The deposed Iraqi leader walked into the courtroom
with a broad smile and took a seat alongside his six
co- defendants. It was not clear what prompted him
to be present. The chief judge, Mohammed Oreibi
al-Khalifa, called a prosecution witness to the
stand, reversing his Monday decision that the court
would not hear more witnesses but instead review the
evidence.
In a handwritten statement released by Saddam's
lawyers Tuesday, the ex-president cited what he
claimed were repeated "insults" by Judge al-Khalifa
and prosecutors trying him for his role in the
1987-88 military campaign against the Kurds of
northern Iraq, which was code-named Operation Anfal.
|
Former dictator Saddam Hussein
Photo : AFP |
|
"I will not accept being offended continuously by
you and others," Saddam wrote to al-Khalifa.
"Therefore, I ask to be relieved of attending the
hearings in this new comedy and you can do whatever
you want," Saddam asserted.
Saddam and six co-defendants have pleaded innocent
to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity
for their alleged roles in Operation Anfal. Saddam
and one other defendant have pleaded innocent to the
additional charge of genocide. If convicted, they
could all be condemned to death.
The prosecution estimates that 180,000 Kurds were
killed when Saddam's army waged a scorched-earth
campaign against Kurdish separatist guerrillas,
allegedly destroying hundreds of villages, killing
or forcing their residents to flee.
AP
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 