Saddam, Defense Team To Boycott Trial
Lawyer Says Deposed Leader Protesting New Chief Judge
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It was Abdel-Rahman's first session at the helm after replacing a jurist who stepped down under criticism that he was not doing enough to stop Saddam and his half brother, co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim, from dominating the trial with frequent outbursts and disruptions.
Defense lawyers criticized the tough approach, saying it was preventing Saddam and his seven co-defendants from getting a fair trial. The eight could face death by hanging if convicted in the killing of at least 140 Shiites after a July 1982 attempt on Saddam's life in the town of Dujail north of Baghdad.
On Monday, Armouti demanded that the chief judge be dismissed "because he has harmed the Iraqi justice system."
He told The AP that he also submitted a demand to the Iraqi Bar Association "to take disciplinary measures against the court-appointed attorneys because they want attend the hearings without the consent of the President (Saddam) and this is illegal."
Al-Dulaimi declined to say when the lawyers would resume attending court sessions, but he insisted several demands first be met.
He said the chief judge must apologize to Armouti for "offending" the Jordanian lawyer, ensure "complete protection" to the lawyers and their families, which the defense team had been promised but that has not been given, and the transfer of the trial to a venue outside Iraq.
"We appeal to international human rights organizations and all peace-loving forces to hear our pleas for transferring the court to any place outside Iraq, to anywhere outside Iraq and Iran, even if it was in the United States," he said. The lawyer said he would prefer Qatar.
"The United States has a (military) base there and it may be possible to hold the trial there," he said.
Al-Dulaimi also rejected the appointment of new lawyers.
"It's illegal to have new lawyers appointed. My client has rejected those lawyers. Also the judge can't appoint lawyers, while the defendants already have legal representation."
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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