Disorder in Iraq's Courts

[Barrett808]

Disorder in Iraq's Courts
Mon Feb 23, 7:55 AM ET By Nicholas Riccardi Times Staff Writer

BAGHDAD — Court is in session, the Hon. Naim Hasan Salman presiding — that is, if the lights stay on and the defendants show up.

Neither is guaranteed. Frequent blackouts carve chunks out of the court day, and the American forces who control Iraq (news - web sites)'s prisons are too tangled in logistical and security concerns to release many defendants for trial on time.

As Iraq struggles through a severe crime wave, the courthouse in Karkh, a district in the capital, is a reminder that the criminal justice system is not ready for prime time. Overwhelmed investigators are stymied by the onslaught of violent offenses. The quality of their cases is so questionable that judges — who also operate as juries here — convict only 40% of the accused.

Bodyguards patrol hallways to protect both judges and defendants from assassination and blood feuds. Meanwhile, insurgents are targeting police investigators with suicide bombings and street shootings.

On this day, the courthouse has both electricity and a handful of defendants. So Judge Salman and his fellow black-robed jurists on the three-judge panel take their seats. Ninety minutes later, they have freed two accused thieves for lack of evidence and ordered two other cases continued because witnesses were too scared to testify.

Back in his office, Salman, an amiable, 20-year veteran of the bench with a salt-and-pepper mustache and a booming voice, philosophically notes: "One hundred percent justice is with Allah only."

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