Saddam cronies face tribunal

2003-12-10 12:36

Baghdad - Iraq's US-installed interim leadership has voted to create a special tribunal to try Saddam Hussein-era war crimes, Governing Council member Mowaffak al-Rubaie told reporters on Wednesday.

"The Governing Council approved late last night the creation of an Iraqi penal tribunal to try former members of Saddam Hussein's regime for their crimes against humanity," he said.

The approval of draft statutes for the court has been long-awaited in Iraq after the April 9 fall of Saddam lifted the lid of decades of repression.

"These crimes include those committed against the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the state of Kuwait and against the Arab, Kurd, Turkmen, Assyrian, Shia and Sunni sons of the Iraqi people for the period from July 17, 1968, until May 1 of this year," said al-Rubaie.

The Baath Party came to power in 1968.

"The tribunal will be based on Iraqi law as well as international legislation and charters. The judges will be Iraqi with the possibility of using foreign experts," he said.

The council had struck an agreement with the US-led coalition forces to hand over criminals to be judged by Iraqis, he said.

The national headquarters of the overthrown Baath Party was a possible site to house the new tribunal, the council member added.

Council members have said US overseer Paul Bremer has to sign the tribunal statutes, but a coalition spokesperson has insisted it was the Governing Council that was taking the decisions about the war crimes tribunal and not the US-led occupation authority.

- AFP