Saddam and 11 Aides Turned Over to Iraqi Justice
Saddam Hussein appeared before an Iraqi judge Wednesday as Iraq’s interim government took legal charge of the deposed dictator 15 months after U.S.-led forces overthrew him.“Today at 10:15 a.m. the Republic of Iraq assumed legal custody of Saddam Hussein,” said a terse statement from interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s office.
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Saddam’s former aides appeared nervous or hostile and one of them, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali for his role in using chemical weapons, was shaking.
It appears that the actual charges will be issues tomorrow:
An official in Allawi’s office had said earlier that Saddam and his former aides would be told at the initial court appearance that they would be charged Thursday.“Tomorrow Saddam and 11 others will be officially charged,” said the official. “The focus at this point will be on Saddam and tomorrow’s proceedings will mark the start of his trial.”
Saddam will be charged with crimes against humanity for a 1988 gas massacre of Kurds, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war
Some of the others involved:
Among others to be handed over were Former Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz; Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, Saddam’s half-brother and adviser; Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, his secretary; Sabawi Ibrahim, Saddam’s maternal half-brother; Watban Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, Saddam’s half-brother and adviser; and Aziz Salih Numan, Baath Party regional commander and head of the party militia.
At this point there are no indication that there are pictures or video of today’s hearing.
