Johannesburg

Sunday

Showers early. Morning clouds. Mild.

10°C
24°C

7 day forecasts

Judges picked for Saddam trial

2005-10-02 17:46

Baghdad - Five judges have been chosen for the much-anticipated trial this month of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein over the massacre of Shiite Muslim villagers in 1982, a source close to the court said on Sunday.

Iraqi special tribunal did not identify the judges.

Saddam and seven of his former henchmen are due to go on trial on October 19 for the killing of 143 Shiite Muslims in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad in 1982, following an attempt on his life there.

The eight face the death penalty if found guilty.

Asked about the possibility of a postponement as demanded by Saddam's defence lawyer, the source said: "That depends entirely on the judges. The tribunal is totally independent."

He said the court would follow "legal Iraqi procedures" for the trial, the first major case involving figures in Saddam's ousted regime.

Saddam's Iraqi lawyer Khalil Dulaimi has requested a delay, claiming that his client's rights have been seriously violated throughout the legal process.

"We have not been duly informed about any certain date for a trial," Dulaimi said last month.

"The defence has not been enabled to review any files of the charges or even any paper of investigation, despite the fact that we have made many and repeated requests to this effect," he said.

However, another tribunal source said last month that Dulaimi had been given access to all prosecution documents and to his client whenever he requested.

"His lawyers can bring international experts, (Saddam) can seek to have other people to meet with him, or he can bring other lawyers.

"No one who Saddam recognises as his attorney has been denied access," the source added.

Saddam, 68, who also faces possible trial over the brutal oppression of about 180 000 Kurds in the late 1980s, has been in US custody since his capture by US-led forces in December 2003.

Iraq's Kurdish President Jalal Talabani claimed last month that Saddam had "confessed" to some of his alleged crimes when interrogated by an investigating judge, but this was denied by members of his Jordan-based defence team.

- AFP

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 16-23°C Sunny. Mild. Pta: 13-27°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 10-24°C Showers early. Morning clouds. Mild. Bloem: 10-26°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 19-26°C More sun than clouds. Mild. PE: 14-22°C Partly cloudy. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

.Net(C#) Developer with Sharepoint experience

Western Cape - Cape Town
Hire Resolve

Coldfusion Developers

Western Cape - Cape Town
Hire Resolve

PHP Developers,

Western Cape - Cape Town
Hire Resolve

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2008 A4 1.8T Multitronics from R 269 000

DAEWOO

Nubira II 1.6 SX
2002
R 59,900.00

MITSUBISHI

Colt 2000 LWB Std PU MY06
2008
R 109,990.00

PEUGEOT

207 XS 1.6 HDi Dsl 5-dr
2004
R 119,995.00

Property - Find a new home

JIM FOUCHEPARK

Single Residential R2,300,000

WILDEBEESHOEK

Farm R6,800,000

EVERTON

Single Residential R6,950,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

All DVDs on Sale

Up to 40% Off 46 000 Titles

District 9, UP, Ice Age, Transformers, Life & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!