First Charges Filed Against Saddam
By Rob on International Scene
Say Anything
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - The first criminal case has been filed against Saddam Hussein, stemming from the 1982 massacre of dozens of Shiite villagers in retaliation for a failed assassination attempt against the former leader, the head of the tribunal overseeing his prosecution said Sunday.
The date for the trial of Saddam and three others was expected to be determined in a few days. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.
Raid Juhi, chief judge of the Iraq Special Tribunal, said the preliminary investigation into the July 8, 1982, massacre in Dujail, 50 miles north of Baghdad, has been completed, and the case was referred to the courts for trial.
The announcement roughly corresponds to an indictment in the U.S. legal system, legal officials said. However, Saddam and the others will be considered “charged” when they appear in court.
The court now has 45 days to announce a start date for the trial, but Juhi said it would “be determined within the few coming days.”
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Let the media circus begin.
Saddam, his apologists and his legal team have already blamed delays in the prosecution on American efforts to prevent Saddam from divulging secrets embarrassing to the U.S. It is apparent to most observers that the media is all too willing to focus on American wrong-doing with regard to the war in Iraq and the war on terror than on the wrong-doings of terrorists. Expect this to become the primary defense tactic employed by Saddam’s legal team. If they can draw the media down this road again, and away from focusing on Saddam’s butcher of his own people (among other atrocities), by making some outrageous anti-American claims they should be able to whip up a modicum of international sympathy for their client. Which is pretty much Saddam’s only hope at this point.
After all, nefarious conspiracy theories about America’s leadership will sell better copy than highly-anticipated (and hardly surprising) stories about what Saddam did during his reign in Iraq.
The media will most assuredly take the bait.
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