The Trial of Saddam Hussein and The Fallout of The War

The Trial of Saddam Hussein

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The fallout in the Middle East from the regime change in Iraq

Friday, October 19, 2007

Execution Wrangle

The political wrangling over the death sentences against Saddam's cousin "Chemical Ali" al-Majid, Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy operations director of the Iraqi armed forces, continues.

The three are currently being held in US custody, and will not be handed over until questions over the legality of the death warrants are resolved.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Death Sentence Delayed

The execution of Chemical Ali (Ali Hassan al-Majeed), scheduled for Tuesday, has been delayed as a result of legal wrangling over who should sign the order.

Ali Hassan al-Majeed was convicted in June of planning and directing the Anfal military campaign in 1988, in which prosecutors said up to 180,000 Kurds were killed and which the trial court later ruled was an act of genocide.

The issue revolves around whether Iraq's presidency council needs to issue a decree authorising the execution, or if Maliki's government can set the date.

The council consisting of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, Vice-President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shi'ite, and Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab is reportedly split as to whether the execution should take place.

It is reported that Hashemi has refused to sign the execution order.

The Iraqi government has formed a committee to review the mechanism of carrying out death sentences issued by the Iraqi High Tribunal.

The committee will meet during the coming fortnight, and Majeed would not be executed until it gave its report.

When Charles I was executed by Cromwell, Cromwell made sure that all members of the new government signed the order for the execution and that it was not done in a dark corner. The Iraqi government would do well to take a lesson from Cromwell.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Execution Status Unclear

Chemical Ali (Ali Hassan al-Majid) was set to be executed yesterday.

Munir Hadad, a senior judge of the Supreme Criminal Court, said that the execution could take place anytime after 5:00am on Tuesday.

Majeed and two other lieutenants of Saddam Hussein were convicted in June of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their role in Operation Anfal, in which as many as 180,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas were killed two decades ago.

It is not yet clear as to whether the sentence has been carried out.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Saddam's Jailer on Trial

Lt-Col William Steele, a US serviceman who was in charge of the detention of Saddam Hussein, has gone on trial in Baghdad by court martial accused of aiding the enemy.

Lt-Col Steele is standing trial on a total of seven counts, and could face a life sentence.

The most serious charge is that he aided the enemy by providing a mobile phone to detainees. It has not been disclosed whom Col Steele lent the phone to.

During pre-trial hearings Steele was also accused of supplying Cuban cigars and hair dye to Saddam.

Echoes of Nuremberg, when a US serviceman aided Goring in committing suicide.