[images and
captions added by this website] London, July 3 / 4, 2004
US
"civilian contractors", their faces obscured by
photo agency, lead a shackled Iraqi
commander-in-chief to "court" at Baghdad
airport Saddam mocks
accusers in court By Martin
Asser BBC News Online SADDAM Hussein arrived in chains
at a palace complex once used by his inner circle
for hunting, fishing and other pleasurable
diversions. Unchained, Saddam was able to gesticulate at
judges The ex-Iraqi leader was flown to the complex by
helicopter and brought to the makeshift courtroom
in an armoured bus, escorted by four US military
vehicles and a military ambulance. The handcuffs, attached to a chain around his
waist, were then removed, dropping to the floor
outside the courtroom with a clatter. He was then taken inside by two imposing Iraqi
prison guards, while six other guards waited
outside. With free hands, the former president was able
to jab his finger aggressively at the judge when he
became animated, during the half-hour hearing to
read out the seven preliminary charges against
him. 'President'Dressed in a grey pin-striped suit and white
shirt - and looking thinner than before - the
ex-Iraqi leader was at times defiant and at times
subdued. But he was wholly different from the submissive
and dishevelled prisoner last seen by the world
when he was captured in December. One of the few reporters allowed in the
courtroom, from Qatari-based al-Jazeera TV, said
that at first Saddam Hussein refused to reply when
he was asked to confirm his name. "Are you Saddam Hussein?" the judge said. Looking indignantly at the court official he
replied: "Yes, Saddam Hussein, the president of the
Republic of Iraq." The judge then repeated "Saddam Hussein
al-Majid?" using the former leader's full name. "Saddam Hussein, the president of the Republic
of Iraq," repeated the man in the dock,
emphatically. Throughout the hearing he refused
being referred to as the "former Iraqi
president". And when asked where he lived, Saddam Hussein
replied:"I live in every Iraqi house." This obstreperous attitude during the initial
exchange seemed to set the tone for the whole
hearing. Legal
dispute"Under what law am I being tried here?" he asked
the judge towards the end of the session. How could you defend those dogs [the
Kuwaitis]? They were trying to turn Iraqi women
into 10-dinar prostitutes Saddam
HusseinWhen he was told that it was Iraqi justice, he
mocked the judge and the proceedings. Did he have a law certificate, the accused
asked, and since when had he been recognised as a
judge - before the occupation of Iraq or
afterwards? "Since the days of the previous regime until
now," the judge replied, explaining that the former
US-led occupation administration had asked him to
hold the trial. Saddam then laughed: "You are trying me by order
of the invasion forces. By what law are you trying
me?" "I am trying you in accordance with the Iraqi
law," the judge said. "Then you are trying my by the law that I
enacted," Saddam Hussein replied. "You are trying
me by a law that I approved and ratified." Angry
responseAs the charges were read out, Saddam Hussein
became enraged when the judge got to the section
involving the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. "How can you as an Iraqi talk about the 'Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait'? "Kuwait is Iraqi territory. It was not an
invasion." "How could you defend those dogs? They were
trying to turn Iraqi women into 10-dinar
prostitutes" [by undercutting the price of
Iraqi oil]. He was rebuked for using insulting language by
the judge, who told him this was not permitted in a
court of law. At another point, the former president looked
around smilingly at the court and remarked: "This
is all a theatre. The real villain is Bush." Hesitant
guardsRegarding charges over the chemical weapons
attack on the Kurds of Halabja in 1988, he said he
had heard about such attacks during his rule "on
television". And again he mocked the court when asked if he
wanted it to provide lawyers to defend him. "But everyone says, the Americans say, I have
millions of dollars stashed away in Geneva. Why
shouldn't I afford a lawyer?" Not surprisingly then, at the end of the
arraignment Saddam Hussein refused to sign the list
of charges against him until he had a defence
lawyer present. At which point the guards were told to take the
prisoner away. One of them hesitated, apparently not quite
knowing what to do with this man who less than 18
months ago was an all-powerful tyrant who ruled
Iraq with a rod of iron. Eventually, he tucked his hands under Saddam
Hussein's elbows and led him away. -
Robert Fisk: Saddam
was censored in court hearing by US
Army
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Flashback: Jordanian
newspaper claims that Israeli premier Ariel
Sharon and Mossad agents were first to view
captured President Saddam Hussein |
Statement
issued by the underground Iraqi Baath Party on
the arrest of President Saddam Hussein
-
Not the US version:
Sunday Express (London) reports
that Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops
only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish
forces [English]
[French]
-
Iraq resistance general: 'The
liberation of Baghdad is not far away'
-
Former British foreign
office legal adviser says Iraq occupation
illegal | Sir Jeremy Greenstock admits Saddam
had no WMD
-
Lawyer
for one guard claims picture shows his client
taking orders from others - will generals take
the stand?
-
-
Index of
items on this website about Abu Ghraib
|