Lawyer says tribunal 'illegal'

2004-07-01 19:54

Amman - Saddam Hussein's defence team, which has not yet been allowed to enter Iraq, on Thursday again slammed as "illegal" the Iraqi Special Tribunal trying the deposed dictator.

"This court is illegal since it was designated by an illegal authority, created by the occupation," one of the lawyers, Jordanian Ziad Khassawneh, said as Saddam appeared before the Baghdad court to hear charges against him.

"This procedure contravenes international laws and Geneva Conventions which consider null any accord struck between an occupier and a provisional government, since it stems from a dictator," he said.

Members of the team, who gathered at the Amman office of the lead defence lawyer, Mohammed al-Rashdan, challenged the tribunal, where a visibly tired Saddam defended his August 1990 invasion of Kuwait and refused to sign legal papers after seven charges were read against him.

"I challenge the American administration to show him (Saddam) on television and to let him speak ... defence is a sacred right" Khassawneh said.

"The defence team is composed of 20 lawyers, in addition to 500 volunteers including 200 advisors from all the countries in the world, including the United States," added lawyer Issam Ghazawi.

He reiterated that the team wanted to travel to Iraq and had "asked the help of the International Red Cross and the United States, who responded that this did not concern them."

But he added the team was still "determined" to travel to Iraq.

The team was appointed by Saddam's wife, Sajida, and his three daughters, Raghad, Rana and Hala, following his capture by US troops in northern Iraq in December.

- AFP