Saddam remains defiant as trial begins in Baghdad
Special Correspondent
Oct. 19, 2005

Saddam Hussein tried to make a mockery of the special Iraqi court prosecuting him on Wednesday, challenging the legitimacy of the tribunal and insisting he remained the constitutional president of Iraq.

Appearing defiant, but also at times bewildered, the former Iraqi dictator turned the opening moments of trial into rebellious arguments with the judge. He repeatedly refused to identify his name and occupation.

“Who are you and what are you,” he told the judge. “In the name of justice and in respect for the people of Iraq, I don''t answer this so-called court, I don''t recognise the party that gave you your rights, or the invasion of Iraq.”

The image of the former dictator and seven of his co-defendants sitting in what amounted to cages and answering to charges of murder and torture reflected the extraordinary changes that have swept Iraq over the past three years.

But, Presiding Judge Rizgar Mohamed Amin's struggle to assert his authority also underlined the dilemma of the Iraqi authorities seeking the death penalty for a leader responsible for decades of oppression.

The Iraqi government sees the trial of as a way of boosting the morale of Iraqis, still living in a violent and unstable country two-and-a-half years after their liberation. But Mr Hussein on Wednesday appeared intent on putting the 2003 US invasion on trial and used the proceedings to encourage his remaining supporters, many of them insurgents fighting US troops and their Iraqi allies.

Mr Hussein is being tried, at least as a first stage, on a narrow case, related to the killing of 140 people in a Shia town in 1982, but many Iraqis want other atrocities aired before he faces his sentence.

The deposed leader and the other defendants entered a no guilty plea after charges of ordering the massacre were read out by the judge. If found guilty, Mr Hussein faces the death penalty by hanging.

The special court was set up in a bomb-resistant former Ba''ath party building with 5 meter-thick walls in the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.

“It is easier to get into the White House today, this is the most rigorous security in the world,” said a US Marshal.

Though the presiding judge stayed calm and even smiled at the defendants at times, the chaotic start of the trial included a demand from some of Mr Hussein's colleagues to be given back their traditional headscarves before agreeing to answer questions. It took about ten minutes before the headscarves were brought in.

In Iraq, and across the Arab world, people were glued to their television set to watch the historic trial transmitted with a 20 to 30 minute delay.

Before the start of the trial, Khalil al-Dulaimi, Mr Hussein's lawyer, said he would ask for more time to prepare his case and legal experts expected the court to adjourn after one or two sessions. Mr al-Dulaimi also said that his defence would centre on challenging the legitimacy of the tribunal.

“We will dispute the legitimacy of the court as we''ve been doing every day. We will claim it is unconstitutional and not competent to try the legitimate president of Iraq,” he said.

“Saddam Hussein is Iraq's legitimate president while the court is illegitimate because the US invasion is illegal and everything that has been built upon it is just as illegal.”

Human rights groups have raised concerns about the tribunal and its ability to meet international standards for fair trials. They have warned that the experience could leave the impression of a “victor's justice” and polarise Iraqi society.

The trial comes days after Iraqis voted on a new constitution that was supported by the Shia majority and the Kurdish minority repressed under the old regime. Sunni Arabs, however, called for a no vote. The results of the referendum are expected later this week.

MORE ARTICLES >>