Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq, September 20,-- A sense
of relief is all over the Kurdistan region after the
Iraqi government replaced the residing judge of a
court trying Saddam Hussein and six of his henchmen
on Al-Anfal genocide case.
"We value the work of the court after a new judge
resided over it because the former judge Abdullah
Al-Ameri wanted to steer the court in the wrong
direction," Fuad Hussein, head of Kurdistan's
presidential court, said in a press statement
Wednesday.
He said the court was heading to a "political
dimension and was moving from a criminal approach to
a political state thus placing all cases and crimes
committed during the Iraq-Iran war within this
state." The fact that ex-judge Al-Ameri told Saddam
Hussein he was not a dictator "means a supportive
position to him and his aides.
"The decision to replace him was a correct decision
and we hope the new judge does not change the victim
to an accused," added Hussein.
The session started today Sept 20 with new chief judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa after the government rapped former
chief judge Abdullah al-Amiri for saying that Saddam
is "not a dictator."
Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as
"Chemical Ali," and five former commanders face
charges of genocide for their role in Anfal, which
the chief prosecutor said left 182,000 people dead
or missing. |
New Chief judge Mohammed Oreibi Al-Khalifa on Saddam genocide
trial. Photo:AP |
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