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Saddam Trial Disrupted Again As Attorneys Walk Out in Protest

Posted on: Monday, 5 December 2005, 12:00 CST

The resumption on Monday of the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was marred by disagreement which ended in Saddam's defense team walking out of the courtroom. The attorneys reportedly left the court after Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin refused to hear their complaints regarding the legitimacy of the tribunal, saying that the complaints would be heard at a later time. One of the lawyers on the team was former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Following the incident, Saddam's codefendant Barzan Al ikriti yelled "Long live Saddam," while the former leader cried, " Long live the Arab state," saying that the court was appointed by Americans, reported Reuters. In response to Amin's call that defense replacements would be chosen by the court if the current team walked out, Saddam said that he rejected "court-appointed lawyers." Saddam and seven other codefendants were brought into the courtroom without handcuffs, according to the AP, in the heavy guarded courthouse in the Green Zone in central Baghdad. Monday's trial resumed after a one-week recess so that replacements could be found for two attorneys that had been killed and one that had fled Iraq, reportedly in fear of his safety.

2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

Source: Al Bawaba

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