Hussein Defense in Chaos as Trial Nears

[lovuian]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20050929/ts_latimes/husseindefenseinchaosastrialnears

BAGHDAD — Three weeks before he is due to stand trial for murder, Saddam Hussein's defense is in turmoil.

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The attorney for the deposed Iraqi president says he is only beginning to study the prosecution's evidence of a 1982 massacre and has asked for a delay in the proceedings. Hussein's defense team has been impaired by differences over strategy, limited access to its client, and an internal shake-up that recently stripped four of the five members of their authority to represent him before the Iraqi High Criminal Court.

This week, Hussein's sole designated attorney petitioned the tribunal to postpone the first of the former leader's many expected trials on charges of crimes against humanity. The trial of Hussein and seven former aides is scheduled to open Oct. 19 in a Baghdad courtroom.

Hussein was arrested in December 2003, eight months after being ousted in a U.S.-led military invasion. He and the former aides, imprisoned at a U.S. military base, are accused of being responsible for the 1982 slayings of 148 people in the predominantly Shiite Muslim town of Dujayl after an assassination attempt against him there.

On Sunday, designated attorney Khalil Dulaimi passed through a maze of armed checkpoints protecting the court headquarters to receive the prosecution case file. Before leaving the building, Dulaimi filed his motion seeking a delay. It notes that the court's rules require the prosecutor to give the defense attorney access to the evidence against his client at least 45 days before trial.

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45 more days!!! will it be televised???

[rodeodance]

1. mistrial?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Exhibit A for the defense:

[DavidDvorkin]

3. I don't see how that helps the defense

What it does mean is that Rumsfeld should be on trial, too, as an accomplice.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. That's how it helps the defense.

[StrafingMoose]

8. That's precisely the goal of the special tribunal...

they will try to get Saddam killed for a crime which didn't involve any Western assistance, so nothing damaging to the Coalition comes out of these trials and hamper the 'war on terror'.

You can read my take on it if you want here

[Polethebear]

4. Guys,do you think he'll be beheaded????

If it gets that far. I know one of the leaders there now had said he didn't saddam beheaded but I was curious as to what you guys thought.

I didn't mean to hijack,I was just wondering. It was kinda of shock when
my dad metioned it to me,I had not thought of his trial in those terms or of that being a possiblity.

Anyway.........

[enigma000]

11. Beheaded?

No - a bit to bloody for a justice system of a state trying to look responsible. My guess: a quick firing squad execution.

[goforit]

5. Show time ..........directed and produced by Bushworks!

Bring your popcorn.

[lovuian]

7. I think its going to be hillarious Hussein on trial at the same time as

Scooter Libby Rove and Judith Miller!!!

HA HA HA!!!:rofl:

[StrafingMoose]

9. Saddam will be killed for the smallest of his crimes..

not wanting to trivialize the victims of Dujail, but seriously this isn't the worse Saddam did.

Killing Saddam for this will just make Iraqis angrier as they'd probably like to see the same sentence applied for the people who help put/maintain the bastard in there in the first place.

[mallard]

10. Just what the execution squad wanted...

A defense in chaos.

[underpants]

12. Gee, I wonder if this will change the outcome Wally

I don't know Beav this one was open and shut from the beginning.

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