Saddam Yells at Judge in Unruly Session

Dec 5, 7:23 AM (ET)
By HAMZA HENDAWI

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Saddam Hussein's defense team walked out of court Monday, the former leader yelled at the judge, and Saddam's half brother shouted "Why don't you just execute us!" in an often unruly court session that also saw former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark speak on behalf of the deposed president.

They're sure presenting a great case, wouldn't you say??

After the lawyers walked out, Saddam, shaking his right hand, told the judge: "You are imposing lawyers on us. They are imposed lawyers. The court is imposed by itself. We reject that."

Go ahead and reject it all you want, idiot. These lawyers are risking being tried for treason just to see to it that you get a fair trial. I guess that's graititude for ya.

Clark said he needed only two minutes to present his argument. But Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin at first said only Saddam's chief lawyer could speak. Amin said the defense should submit its motion in writing and warned that if the defense walked out then the court would appoint replacement lawyers.

You go, Riz!

Saddam and his half brother Barazan Ibrahim then chanted "Long live Iraq, long live the Arab state."

And live long it will - as a free republic without you running the show.

Ibrahim stood up and shouted: "Why don't you just execute us and get rid of all of this!"

Hey, now there's a novel idea. All you would have to do would be to change your plea to "guilty" and we could start recruiting the firing squad. Sadly, we would have to turn a whole lot of people away. It only takes one bullet, ya know.

When the judge explained that he was ruling in accordance with the law, Saddam replied: "This is a law made by America and does not reflect Iraqi sovereignty."

Again, Saddy - you're not making much of a case in your defense. The law doesn't reflect YOUR regime's sovereignty, but you can bet the Iraqi people are waiting with baited breath to see you die in a public execution. Said law DOES respect THEIR sovereignty. YOUR sovereignty doesn't extend beyond your prison cell, if it even exists there. Of course, all of us here in the RWRepublic do hope you are enjoying the three squares and humane treatment you get in that prison cell, luxuries you never seemed to grant anyone in your torture facilities.

It was the third court session in the trial of Saddam and seven co-defendants - accused in the 1982 killing of more than 140 Shiites after an assassination attempt against the president in Dujail - where Saddam at times appeared to be in control of the court as much as the judge presiding over the trial.

With the attitude these guys are showing, I doubt they even have a prayer.

After the walk-out and a 90-minute recess to resolve the issue, the court reconvened and Amin allowed Clark and ex-Qatari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi to speak on the questions of the legitimacy of the tribunal and safety of the lawyers.

Now THIS I gotta read ...

"Reconciliation is essential," Clark told the court. "This trial can divide or heal. Unless it is seen as absolutely fair, and fair in fact, it will divide rather than reconcile Iraq."

Fair enough, Benedict Arnold. Now will you PLEASE tell your client to shut the fuck up so we can get on with the proceedings???

At that point the judge reminded Clark that he was to speak only about the security guarantees for the defense lawyers - two of whom have been assassinated since the trial began Oct. 19.

Typical liberal - constantly off-topic. What's really disturbing about this is that Mr. Clark is one of the defense lawyers who could be a target for such an assassination. IMAO, it should be a top priority of his if he really thinks he can help. Of course, I'm sure he's only there carrying Weird Howard's anti-Bush water, and doesn't really care much about ol' Saddy. Maybe that's Saddy's point?

Clark then said all parties were entitled to protection and the measures offered to protect the defense and their families were "absurd." Clark said that without such protection, the judicial system would collapse.

So what are your suggestions, Mr. Clark? You're the one who's dodging bullets in this discussion.

Al-Nueimi then spoke about the legitimacy issue, arguing that court is not independent and was in fact set up under the U.S.-led occupation rather than by a legal Iraqi government. He said the language of the statute was unchanged from that promulgated by the former top U.S. administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, and was therefore "illegitimate."

Point 1 - The US kicked out the Saddam regime. Since no one has presented a successful military challenge to US authority in Iraq, only the US has the authority to make decisions regarding these courts.

Point 2 - The Iraqi people themselves have had plenty of say in the matter. Jut because they use all or most of the US's suggestions doesn't make the court "illegitimate". Thank you Hamza, for including the quote marks.

After the lawyers spoke, the first witness to take the stand, Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, began his testimony. He said that after an assassination attempt on Saddam, security agencies took people of all ages from age 14 to over age 70.

"There were mass arrests. Women and men. Even if a child was 1-day-old they used to tell his parents, 'Bring him with you,"' Mohammed said. He said he was taken to a security center where "I saw bodies of people from Dujail."

A truly grotesque scene. Any of you clowns care to refute it?

"They were martyrs I knew," Mohammed said, giving the name of the nine whose bodies were there.

Heavenly Father, bless the souls of these victims, murdered unneccessarily and ruthlessly by these horrible defendants. May all of their sould rest in peace. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The first witness earlier exchanged insults with Saddam's half brother, telling him "you killed a 14-year-old boy."

"To hell," the half brother, Ibrahim, replied.

"You and your children go to hell," the witness replied.

The judge then asked them to avoid such exchanges.

While I can understand this witness's outrage, I have to agree with the judge here. I must say, however, that Ibrahim's remorseless defiance is pretty illustrative.

"There was random arrests in the streets, all the forces of the (Baath) party, and Thursday became 'Judgment Day' and Dujail has become a battle front," the witness said, sometime fighting back tears. "Shootings started and nobody could leave or enter Dujail. At night, intelligence agents arrived headed by Barazan" Ibrahim.

Nice battle front. Killing off unarmed 14- and 70- year olds. Very nice. NOT. Sir, I hope the outcome of this trial relieves some of your grief, or at least brings some closure to this obviously very horrible experience.

At this point Ibrahim interrupted him, saying that "I am a patriot and I was the head of the intelligence service of Iraq."

What kind of patriot orders the killing of unarmed civilians? If there were crimes committed, arrest the perps and offer them a fair trial. You were not and are not a patriot. You were and are a servant and willing accomplice to a war criminal, and today are facing the consequences of your actions.

You and your boss are toast.

RWR