Via the BBC: Saddam Hussein boycotts hearing
The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven of his former Baath Party regime colleagues has resumed without the former leader in the courtroom.He is complaining about the conditions in which he is being held and how the trial is being conducted.
[...]
Under Iraqi law the trial can continue without the defendant present in the courtroom.
According to AFP news agency, as the hearing got under way, Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi stood up to thank the chief judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin for allowing the trial to continue.
Arrangements may be made for the former president to watch the trial on a closed circuit TV link, with the right to intervene at certain points, possibly via a microphone, BBC world affairs editor John Simpson says.
For the defendant, the man certainly affecting the proceedings more than ought to be the case . Of course, I suppose one doesn’t become a dictator without having a strong personality.
I suppose putting the proceedings on TV for him and allowing the possibility of interaction from his cell solves the basic problem. Still, it would seem that handcuffs (and a gag, if necessary) could also have solved the problem. I am guessing that the judge is trying to avoid such a spectacle.
A few more tidbits from the Reuters version of the story: Saddam trial resumes without him
Under Iraqi law, which forms the basis of the tribunal’s rules in an amalgam with other principles of international law, the trial can continue to its conclusion without Saddam but his absence will deprive millions of Iraqis the chance to see their former president in the dock.[...]
Saddam and his co-defendants, who face hanging, have said their trial is a sham and have repeatedly disrupted it, haranguing the judge and chief prosecutor and accusing witnesses, most of whom have testified from behind a curtain out of fear, of lying.
Saddam complained on Tuesday he had not been allowed to shower or change his shirt and underwear for days, and asked the judge if he was trying to exhaust the defendants.
That is more than I needed to know, to be honest.
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December 7th, 2005 at 10:18 am
Saddam Boycotts His Own Trial
If ever there were a trial that was a circus, this one takes the prize. Michael Jackson’s trial was mild compared to the insanity we have seen so far with this one. Apparantly, Saddam was not satisfied with the outcome of his outbursts, and d…
December 7th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Outbursts, Delays, and Adjournments
But, am I wrong about Saddam’s trial? Has it turned into a circus that actually diminishes the legitimacy and authority of the court, or is this a temporary setback that can be rebounded from?