The Iraq Special Tribunal is a body established under Iraqi national law to try Iraqi nationals or residents accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious crimes committed between 1968 and 2003. It is organising the trial of Saddam Hussein and other members of his Baath Party regime. Look up Genocide on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Genocide means mass murder of a particular ethnic group. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A war crime is a punishable offense, under international law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... Jump to: navigation, search Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein Ê»Abd al-MajÄ«d al-TikrÄ«t, sometimes spelled Husayn or Hussain; (Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 ) was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture during the 2003 invasion... Baath Party flag The Ba‘ath Parties (also spelled Baath or Ba‘th; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Ba‘ath movement. ...

The Tribunal was set up by a specific Statute issued under the Coalition Provisional Authority and now reaffirmed under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi Interim Government. The Transitional Administrative Law [TAL] promulgated by the Iraq Governing Council before the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty preserves and continues the Iraq Special Tribunal Statute in force and effect. The Seal of the CPA in Iraq The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as a transitional government in Iraq following the invasion by the United States and the other members of the multinational coalition which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003. ... The Iraqi Interim Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies as a caretaker government to govern Iraq until the Iraqi Transitional Government was organized following the Iraqi National Assembly election conducted on January 30th, 2005. ... The Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period is the current Iraqi constitution signed on March 8, 2004 by the Iraq Interim Governing Council. ...

The Tribunal is responsible for the trial of Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid (also known as "Chemical Ali"), former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, former deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and other former senior officials in the deposed Ba'athist regime. The Tribunal follows standard Iraqi custom in applying the Continental or Civil law system, in which crimes are investigated by Tribunal Investigative Judges rather than police officers, and trials will be heard before panels of five Trial Judges, rather than the Anglo-American common law jury. One of the Tribunal Investigative Judges is Ra’id Juhi, who was also a local magistrate under the Baathist regime, and who arraigned Saddam Hussein and eleven other defendants in July 2004. The arraignments, which were nothing more than confirming the identities of the defendants and informing them that they were the subjects of formal criminal investigation by the Tribunal, became necessary upon the transition and transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government. Iraqi court proceeedings thereby became the formal domestic legal basis for detaining the defendants rather than any military necessity. Ali Hassan al-Majid Ali Hassan al-Majid (born 1941), is an Iraqi official and commander. ... Jump to: navigation, search Taha Yassin Ramadan (born 1938) was the Vice President of Iraq from March 1991 to the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003. ... Jump to: navigation, search Tariq Aziz, also Tareq Aziz (Arabic طارق عزيز) (b. ... Bath Party flag The Arab Socialist Bath Party (also spelled Baath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي) was founded in 1945 as a radical, left-wing, secular Arab nationalist political party. ...

The Tribunal has declared it will adhere to standards of international law in compliance with the sovereign law of Iraq. Many international human-rights law groups have opposed the Tribunal (pro-American voices have said this is because they felt excluded from the process of its creation), they had wished to see international (non-Iraqi) lawyers empaneled on the Tribunal, and they also object to the availability of the death penalty under Iraqi law.

Other legal groups and the UN have protested that Saddam Hussein should have been arraigned before a UN court, similar to the War Crimes Court at Aruja for the Rwanda genocide. Many European voices have said that Saddam should appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Amsterdam.

The normal principle of international law, however, has been to rely first on the domestic national court capability of a country before turning to the extraordinary creation of international tribunals. The Iraqis as well view the Tribunal as a matter of pride and sovereignty and it shows that they can govern and judge themselves. International legal experts argued for Saddam to be tried outside the country as it is believed that he will not recieve a fair trial under inexperienced judges who have been long standing enemies of him and his regime. Following the re-introduction of capital punishment, the Iraqi interim PM Iyad Allawi gave assurances that he would not interfere with the trial and would accept any court decisions, although some of his comments are open to mis-interpretation: "As for the execution, that is for the court to decide — so long as a decision is reached impartially and fairly." [1] Jump to: navigation, search Death Penalty World Map Color Key: Blue: Abolished for all crimes Green: Abolished, except for crimes committed under certain circumstances (such as crimes committed in time of war) Orange: Abolished in practice Red: Legal form of punishment Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty...

According to British journalist Robert Fisk, the judge, Ra’id Juhi, had indicted Moqtada al-Sadr of murder in April 2004, an important event in the growing Iraqi insurgency. After working as a translator, Juhi was appointed by Paul Bremer. Juhi, 33, is a Shia Muslim and had served for a decade as a judge under Saddam Hussein. [2] Robert Fisk during a lecture at Carleton University, Canada, 2004 Dr Robert Fisk (born 1946) is a prominent but controversial British journalist who currently serves as Middle East correspondent for The Independent newspaper in London. ... Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (Arabic: مقتدى الصدر, also transliterated as Moqtada Alsadr) (b. ... Jump to: navigation, search The neutrality of the intro is disputed. ... L. Paul Bremer Lewis Paul Bremer III, also known as Jerry Bremer, (born September 30, 1941) was named Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq to replace Jay Garner on May 6, 2003. ...

Although officials had asked for the judge's name to be kept secret, allegedly to protect him from retribution [3], it was widely reported in the Arabic press, including newspapers in Baghdad. The only Western newspaper to refuse this kind of self-censorship was the British The Independent and was criticised by Tony Blair's government as a result. Ra'id Juhi had also given interviews and posed for pictures in the context of the Moqtada al-Sadr indictment. Jump to: navigation, search The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. ...

General Director

The tribunal was initially led by Salem Chalabi a former exile and relative of Ahmed Chalabi. Critics pointed to Salem's lack of experience and close ties to Iraqi dissidents, questioning US motives in his appointment. However, as his uncle Ahmed Chalabi fell from US favour in August 2004, warrants were issed for their arrest while they were both out of Iraq. Some saw this as an attempt to remove them from Iraqi politics. On September 19, 2004 the New York Times quoted Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi as saying that he had received Salem's resignation. [4] Speculation immediately started on who would replace Salem; names mentioned include Taleb al-Zubaidi and Naim al-Oukaili. On October 4, 2004, the Iraqi National Council approved the nomination of Judge Ammar al-Bakri, who becomes the new Administrator of the Special Tribunal. Upon the installation of the full complement of nine Appellate Judges for the Tribunal, the Appellate Judges will select a President, who will then become the formal leader of the Tribunal. The full Tribunal will then proceed to adopt and enact Rules of Procedure and Rules of Evidence governing the proceedings of the Tribunal. Salem J. Chalabi was the first General Director of the Iraqi Special Tribunal set up in 2003 to try Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime for crimes against humanity. ... Ahmed Chalabi Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi1 (Arabic: احمد الجلبي) (born October 30, 1944) is the interim minister for oil and a deputy prime minister in Iraq, as of April 28, 2005 [1]. He is also part of a three-man executive council for the umbrella Iraqi opposition group, the Iraqi National Congress... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Iyad Allawi Dr Iyad Allawi (اياد علاوي) (born 1945) is an Iraqi politician, and was the interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to Iraqs 2005 legislative elections. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ammar al-Bakri is the administrator of the Iraqi Special Tribunal to rule over the trial of Saddam Hussein, al-Bakri was approved by the Iraqi National Council on October 4th, 2004. ...

See also

• 2003 Invasion of Iraq

Jump to: navigation, search This article covers invasion specifics. ...

External links

• Statute of the Iraqi Special Tribunal
• Official website of the Iraqi Special Tribunal
• Saddam’s trial: the needs of justice 19th October 2005