|
The People vs. Hussein - (A Thought-Provoking Piece)
The usual suspects are eroding justice over Saddam -- justice denied?"When defending Adolf Eichmann, lawyers for the fugitive Nazi began by questioning the right of an Israeli court to try him. The Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, who is to present the case for his own defense next week, long ago called the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague a "false tribunal." So no one should have been surprised last week when Saddam Husseinâs first statements before Iraqâs special tribunal -- quoted above -- also turned the tables on his accusers, questioning the judgeâs competence and the courtâs legitimacy. Hussein called the court a "theater" to help Bush in his election campaign. But Hussein himself was setting the stage for what could become, if care is not taken, a discredited trial. He is correct in implying that no judge can pronounce on his case with clear authority, and even evidence of his regimeâs mass murders might not prevent him from achieving some sort of "victory." Contrary to popular belief, nearly all war crimes trials have been conducted under a cloud of questioned legitimacy. They have succeeded or failed not because of the courts conducting them, but because of the politics surrounding them. (end of excerpt) Posted by: Capt America 2004-07-07 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=37384 |