Saddam trial defense lawyer flees Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A lawyer representing two of Saddam
Hussein’s co-defendants has fled Iraq and is seeking asylum in
Qatar following an attempt on his life, according to a letter
he has written to the leader of the Gulf state.

Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie, who represents Taha Yassin
Ramadan and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, both of whom are being
tried along with Saddam for crimes against humanity, said in
the letter that his life was under constant threat.

“Your Highness … the plot goes on in targeting and
killing Iraqi lawyers like my colleague Adil al-Zubeidi and the
lawyer Saadoun al-Janabi,” he wrote, referring to two other
defense lawyers killed by unidentified gunmen in the past
month.

“We are paying the price of being lawyers representing the
law; we are not politicians to get involved in policy. We are
not criminals to be punished like this under a democratic
government,” he said.

A copy of the letter was emailed to Reuters on Monday.

Last week, Khuzaie narrowly escaped death when gunmen
opened fire on a vehicle he was traveling in with Zubeidi.
Zubeidi was killed and Khuzaie was wounded in the head by a
bullet.

Khuzaie told Reuters by telephone that he had already left
Iraq, but would not say where he was living while he waits for
word on his asylum request.

“I ask your generous highness and all Arabic leaders to
grant me humanitarian asylum with my family because danger is
chasing us every minute,” he wrote. “I hope your highness will
accept my appeal.”

Defense lawyers have called for the trial of Saddam and his
seven co-defendants to be moved abroad for security reasons,
but the tribunal hearing the first case against members of the
former regime has rejected such a move.

The defense lawyers have said they have severed all
contacts with the court and they consider the next scheduled
hearing on November 28 “canceled and illegitimate.”

The government has offered the lawyers extra security, but
that has in some cases been turned down because lawyers suspect
that militias tied to the police are behind the assassinations
so far carried out.