Saddam trial to resume, first witnesses expected

Saddam Hussein, on October 19, speaks to the Presiding Judge Rizgur Ameen Hana al-Saedi as his trial begins. File picture / Reuters

BAGHDAD - The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven aides on charges of crimes against humanity will resume in a fortified Baghdad courtroom today, with witnesses expected to take the stand for the first time.

After assassinations of defence lawyers, a plot to kill the chief investigator and threats against witnesses, security is draconian. Some evidence will be heard from behind protective screens in the courtroom in Baghdad's fortress-like "green zone".

The deposed Iraqi president's trial was adjourned three hours after its opening on October 19, to give the defence more time to prepare. A defiant Saddam questioned the legitimacy of the court.

The defence team might still need time to discuss strategy after the reported last-minute addition of two international observers, former US attorney general Ramsey Clark and Najeeb al-Nauimi, former justice minister of Qatar.

Critics have accused Saddam of ordering mass killings and widespread torture over decades, but the legal charges brought against him so far refer to just one specific incident.

He and the other defendants are charged with ordering the deaths of 148 young Shi'ite men from the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, following an attempt on Saddam's life in July 1982.

Residents of Dujail said at the weekend that death threats had already been made against some witnesses.

Most of the 40-day break has been dominated by security issues after one defence lawyer was murdered the day after the trial began and another in early November, throwing proceedings into chaos. A third defence lawyer fled Iraq after death threats.

An Iraqi police chief said on the eve of the resumption that eight men had been detained and had confessed to plotting to kill chief investigator Raed Jouhi.

As chief investigator of the tribunal, Jouhi built the case against Saddam and has been the public face of the tribunal.

The lawyers still involved in representing the eight defendants have agreed to return to court only after promises of undisclosed improvements in security were made.

Another adjournment is possible. One defence lawyer said the team would seek at least a further three-month postponement.

The case could proceed for at least three days this week, but the holding of national elections on December 15 adds to the argument for a quick adjournment.

A defence team spokeswoman said the attendance of Clark and Nauimi had been approved by US advisers to the court. However, an official close to the court said no application had yet been made by the defence team for international observers.

Clark is a controversial figure who was the US government's top legal official in the late 1960s before becoming an anti-Vietnam war activist and later a defender of figures including Slobodan Milosevic, on trial for war crimes at The Hague.

Clark told Reuters before leaving Amman for the Iraqi capital that he hoped to strengthen Saddam's defence.

"Our plan is to go to court in Baghdad on Monday morning representing the defence counsel as defence support," he said.

"A fair trial in this case is absolutely imperative for historical truth," said 77-year-old Clark, who has also offered advice to former Liberian leader Charles Taylor in the past.

"It is absolutely essential that the court is legal in its constitution. A court cannot be a court unless it is absolutely independent of all external pressures and forces," he said.

- REUTERS