Iraqis tired of US-run show at criminal court

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Baghdad's new courthouse is held up by U.S. officials as a symbol of the independent legal system three years of U.S. occupation has brought, but defense lawyers are angry at what they say is summary American justice.

"During Saddam's time we couldn't say a word. Now we scream and scream and nobody listens," defense attorney Thabit Zubeidi told Reuters as he waited on standby for officials to appoint him to defend those accused who had no other representation.

On Wednesday, an apparently typical day at the Central Criminal Court of
Iraq (CCCI), Iraqi lawyers stood aside as U.S. troops escorted shackled prisoners, who were being made to carry heavy cases of bottled water into the building.

Armed American soldiers are a visible presence throughout the low rise building, once
Saddam Hussein's treasure store for official gifts he received. They are also on guard inside the courtrooms, where trials on "terrorism" charges are held.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060322/ts_nm/iraq_court_dc