HRW says Iraqi tribunal incapable of fair trial for Saddam

[ECH1969]

The U-S-based Human Rights Watch says Iraq's High Tribunal is incapable of giving Saddam Hussein a fair trial.

Iraq's ousted dictator is awaiting a verdict in October in his trial in a massacre in connection with the deaths of 148 Shiites following a 1982 assassination attempt. He's about to stand trial for genocide in the deaths of tens of thousands of Kurds.

Human Rights Watch concludes on the basis of the first trial that the Iraqi tribunal's judges are "incapable of fairly and effectively" carrying out a trial under international law and standards.

http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5297725&nav=0nqx

[w4rma]

1. Don't they know that it's supposed to be a show trial to boost GOP #s?(nt)

[Selatius]

2. Send him to the Hague

It's not possible to have a trial in a fucking war zone.

[htuttle]

3. If the Hague was appropriate for Milosevic, it's appropriate for Saddam

The two situations are very similar. Former dictator being tried while his country is under some sort of occupation, extreme factionalism and civil war conditions, etc...

Plus, while Saddam is probably not as well liked by his own side as Milosevic was, having the trial done by a more neutral third party, as opposed to the other factions in his own country, reduces the impetus for revenge inside Iraq itself.

The only thing is, it would be far worse from a PR point of view for the Bush administration, especially since he's spurned the international courts, so it won't happen.

[ECH1969]

4. They did a really crappy job with the slobo trial

One of the lawyers said the trial wasn't even half over at the time he died.

[htuttle]

5. Practice makes perfect

The one best thing it probably didn't do, though, was create nearly as much ill will (meaning, more civil war) between factions in the former Yugoslavia, etc.. as it would have if Milosevic were tried by opposing factions in his own country.

Besides, he never got out of jail.

:shrug:

[damntexdem]

6. Oh, that's perfectly OK:

a fair trial was never in the game book, anyway.

The thing is: the show trial hasn't provided exactly the type of show intended. Having the defense lawyers killed off DURING the trial is a bit of a bad show -- a bit premature at best. ;-)

How about adjourning to the Hague, and putting Rummy in the docket as a co-conspirator? Now, that WOULD BE a show, and it would certainly be much fairer!