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Saddamâs request for Swedish trial turned down
 STOCKHOLM - Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who faces trial on charges of crimes against humanity, will not be permitted to stand trial or serve his sentence in Sweden, a Swedish official said on Monday. âWe have said ânoâ,â justice ministry director Ann Marie Bolin Pennegaard told AFP, referring to a request from one of Husseinâs lawyers for him to either await trial, stand trial or serve his sentence in Sweden.
| I don't know who's more out of touch with reality, Saddam or his lawyer ... |
| No death penalty in Sweden, is there? |
Pennegaard on Friday sent the Swedish governmentâs answer to Husseinâs attorney Giovanni di Stefano.
âSweden has no intention of filing a request to the competent authorities in Iraq for a transfer of Saddam Hussein to Sweden before his trial,â Pennegaard wrote in the fax. âNor has Sweden considered the issue of establishing a seat of the Iraqi Special Tribunal in Sweden. It is also to be noted that there is no possibility under present Swedish legislation ... to let Saddam Hussein serve any possible sentence in a Swedish prison after his trial,â she added.
| "Ã
re yÞu gÌys nÌts?" he added. |
According to a report in Swedish daily Aftonbladet on Monday, Di Stefano is now planning to ask Iraq and the United Nations to file an official request for Sweden to accept Hussein before, during or after the trial. âIf Iraq or the UN sends a request to Sweden this could still happen,â he told the paper, insisting that holding a trial in Baghdad would be too dangerous for Hussein.
| "He could end up with a three-foot neck! Nobody wants that... Ummm... Well, he doesn't want it, anyway." |
âOne couldnât stop an Egyptian ambassador from recently being kidnapped and murdered in Baghdad. And there is a war going on there, and how can one hold a trial when bombs are exploding outside the door?â he asked.
| Perhaps Sammy could issue an appeal for his safety ... |
âIt is no longer just about Saddam Hussein getting a fair trial but also about him getting a safe trial,â Di Stefano insisted. Pennegaard said that for the time being Swedish authorities were unlikely to change their minds. âIf completely new information comes to light we will of course have to evaluate this again,â she told AFP.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-07-26 |
