Saddam court names stand-in judge in resignation row

By Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein
named a replacement on Monday for the chief judge after failing
to persuade the present lead magistrate to withdraw his
resignation, chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi told Reuters.

Judge Rizgar Amin, who asked to be excused last week after
complaining of government interference in the case, would not
attend the next hearing on January 24, Moussawi said; his
deputy on the five-member judging panel would preside in his
place.

A permanent replacement would be appointed in due course if
Amin continued to stand by his resignation, he added.

“We sent a delegation from the court to convince him but it
was not successful,” Moussawi said. “He is standing by his
resignation. He will not come to Baghdad and he will not
preside over the next session.”

Sayeed al-Hamashi, the most senior of the four other
judges, would instead preside, he added.

The government, which dispatched a senior judge to Amin’s
Kurdish home city of Sulaimaniya to try to change his mind, had
yet to take a final decision on whether to accept Amin’s
resignation, Moussawi said. If Amin still refuses to return to
the bench, a permanent replacement would be chosen.

A spokesman for the High Tribunal said it had no official
comment to make on the issue. Earlier, the spokesman had
confirmed that Amin was insisting on resigning.

The trial of Saddam and seven others for crimes against
humanity is due to resume on January 24 after a month-long
recess.

INTERFERENCE

Amin continued to decline public comment but has made clear
he is unhappy about interference in the trial and pressure put
on him personally by the government and other Shi’ite political
leaders who accuse the Kurdish judge of being soft on Saddam.

“It is a question of integrity,” a source close to the
judge told Reuters on Saturday. “I am not sure if he will go
back on his decision. I don’t think it’s possible.

“He had complaints from the government that he was being
too soft in dealing with Saddam. They want things to go
faster.”

Moussawi said he had met Amin in Baghdad when he first
tendered his resignation a week ago: “I talked to him in
private and asked him why,” the prosecutor said. “He told me ‘I
can’t take the public’s criticism any more’.”

Iraqi media have criticized Amin for allowing the former
president and his co-defendants to speak at length during the
trial so far, saying he is being too lenient with them.

The government and court officials appear anxious to deny
Amin’s complaints of direct pressure on him from the government
and other senior Shi’ite political leaders.

Technically the departure of the presiding magistrate is
simply overcome by appointing a substitute; but complaints
about government interference from Amin, the much-televised
face of the court, may do lasting damage to the court’s
credibility.

Hamashi, who has sat to Amin’s right on the bench on seven
preceding days in court since October 19, is the only other
judge who has allowed his face to be shown on television. Only
Amin had hitherto allowed his name to be published.

The killing of two defense lawyers had already highlighted
problems with the process amid an insurgency among Saddam’s
fellow minority Sunni Arabs against the U.S.-backed government,
run by Shi’ite Muslims and ethnic Kurds intent on quickly
hanging a man they say massacred their peoples.

Some human rights groups have urged the government and U.S.
officials to hold a trial abroad in an international court.

(Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Aseel Kami)