Saddam walks out of trial
2006-01-29 11:25
Baghdad - The setback-plagued trial of Saddam Hussein hit fresh controversy under its new judge on Sunday, as the former Iraqi president walked out from the court and his half-brother was ejected.
Kurdish judge Rauf Rasheed Abdel Rahman, appointed from outside the chamber, attemped immediately to stamp his authority on the trial after the controversial resignation of his predecessor Rizkar Mohammed Amin.
"I want to leave the court," Saddam told the judge, who replied that he could leave the court.
"I led you for 35 years and you order me out of the court," retorted Saddam. "I am the judge, you are the defendant. You have to obey me," said the judge.
After further verbal exchanges, Saddam walked out, escorted by guards.
Amid scenes of chaos, Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, half-brother of Saddam and one of the co-defendants in his trial, was physically ejected from the court by guards on order of the new judge.
"Get him out," said the judge, ordering the guards as Barzan stood up to deliver a lengthy statement about his medical condition.
The balding Rahman, dressed in a suit and his judge's robes, earlier leant back impassively in his chair as proceedings got underway and then put on spectacles to begin reading the opening statements.
The trial's first session of the new year last week had been adjourned early owing to what the court said was the absence of the necessary witnesses, in a further setback for a process already criticised for being too slow.
The January resignation of Amin, the Kurdish chief judge and public face of the trial for its past seven sessions, also raised questions about the independence of the court and its ability to handle the case.
The session was being closely watched to see whether the new judge can stamp his authority on what has until now been a tumultuous chamber, characterized by outbursts from both angry defendants and prosecutors.
A leading human rights watchdog said Amin's resignation has cast doubt on the fairness of the whole trial, which has also seen two defence lawyers murdered.