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| Iraq | |
| Saddam trial judge plans to quit | |
| 2006-01-14 | |
| SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - The chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein plans to step down, a source close to the judge told Reuters on Friday, in a development that could throw an already turbulent process into further disarray. "He wants to withdraw," the source said of Rizgar Amin, who is to preside over the next hearing on January 24. "He will oversee the next sitting and then announce his reasons for withdrawing." Asked why the Kurdish judge, based in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, wanted to pull out of a trial that has made his face familiar around the world during long days of television coverage, he would say only: "It is too difficult."
Kidnapping and murder have become commonplace and human rights groups have questioned the wisdom of pushing ahead with a trial in Baghdad rather than an international process in The Hague or elsewhere. There is already a precedent in the trial, which opened on October 19, for replacing one of the panel of five judges, so in principle Amin's departure may cause little upset; a judge quit to avoid a potential conflict of interest over one of the eight defendants' alleged role in the death of a relative. But in practice, the resignation of the most visible face of the court outside of the dock may be an embarrassment for the Iraqi government and U.S. officials keen to show the world that Iraqis are capable of giving their former leader a fair trial. Amin, 48, told Reuters in November that his family worried about him and he had taken on two bodyguards after pressure from friends. But he stressed: "A judge should never be afraid because he defends justice and the law." Only one other of the five judges on the panel has allowed himself to be seen on camera and many of the witnesses called so far to testify to crimes against humanity committed against over 140 Shi'ite men from the town of Dujail have spoken behind a screen with their voices distorted to avoid retribution. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 BBC has a different take on it: However, the source within the tribunal told the BBC's Alistair Leithead in Baghdad that Judge Rizgar is not resigning over pressure from the Iraqi government, but because of his disappointment at the public's reaction. The source said that the judge had simply been trying to ensure that the trial is fair and that everyone involved gets their say. 'Winning tactic' The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, who has attended the trial in Baghdad, says Judge Rizgar knows his resignation will be a terrible blow to the whole project of bringing Saddam Hussein to justice. He may be hoping that public opinion will now swing behind him. Judge Rizgar has been remarkably lenient to Saddam Hussein and his half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, and they have taken advantage of this, our correspondent says. However, he says that this does not mean that the senior judge has lost control of his court. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-01-14 20:52 |
| #7 "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it." (Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-01-14 20:30 |
| #6 Ito didn't face quite the threats this guy does. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-01-14 14:43 |
| #5 I thought Judge Ito was in still in California. |
| Posted by: Perfessor 2006-01-14 14:41 |
| #4 The honorable judge agreed to bodyguards only "after pressure from friends?" What was he thinking of before that? He should have been wearing body armor & carrying a side arm at all times up to this point. Doesn't he know there's a war on? It's loong past time to put Saddam in the "ghost HMMV" and drive him around Baghdad until he's blown to bits. |
| Posted by: Flerert Whese8274 2006-01-14 12:08 |
| #3 He's not leaving. Today. Tomorrow? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-01-14 11:29 |
| #2 Churchill was right. Offhand behind the nearest barn. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-01-14 11:13 |
| #1 Somebody finally sent him photos of the wife and kiddies coming back from the grocery store!! |
| Posted by: smn 2006-01-14 02:19 |