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| Iraq |
| Uprising court dismisses defendant, another apologizes to victims' families |
| 2008-07-01 |
| (VOI) – Iraq's Supreme Criminal Court undertaking the 1991 Shaaban Uprising in Basra and Missan on Monday dismissed defendant Abdul Ghani al-Ani from the courtroom, after a debate between the two sides. Defendant Iyad Shehab, a former high ranking intelligence member, apologized to those whom he called "the families of innocent victims," who were executed during the events of the uprising. The court session was held today, headed by Justice Mohammed Uraiby, and was attended by the case's 15 defendants. At the beginning of today's session, Justice Uraiby dismissed defendant Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafour al-Ani, former member of Iraq's dissolved Baath party command – Basra branch, due to a debate between them. The judge then requested that a defense attorney leave the courtroom, to hear a defendant's testimony. The court committee was left alone in the courtroom with defendant Iyad Taha Shehab, the former security director of the Iraqi secret services (the Mukhabarat – under Saddam Hussein), during the uprising's events. At the beginning of his testimony, Shehab apologized to "innocent victims' families," for being a defendant in this case. "The Mukhabarat's mission was to follow up foreign people and diplomatic delegations in Iraq," he said. "The secrete services consisted of three divisions; individuals' security, information security, and institution's security," he added. "The Mukhabarat had absolutely no relation with average Iraqis, and only Iraqis who deal with foreign embassies and so on were related to the secrete services' field," he explained. "My job was to follow up on the Mukhabarat's personnel themselves," he asserted. Justice Uraiby then addressed a group of questions to defendant Shehab, regarding his carreer during the uprising. He also showed a group of documents that were submitted by the prosecutor to prove Shehab's involvement in the uprising's events. The prime defendant in this case is Ali Hassan al-Majid, alias Chemical Ali, who was condemned to death on charges of crimes against humanity in the al-Anfal case, in his capacity as former commander of the Southern Zone, based in Basra, and member of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council. Other defendants include Sultan Hashim, the former Iraqi defense minister; Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti, former assistant chief of staff; Saber Abdul-Aziz al-Dori, the former chief of military intelligence; Sabaawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, former President Saddam Hussein's half brother; Abad Hamid Mahmud, Saddam's personal secretary; Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafour, a former Baath Party official; Saadi Taama Abbas, the former minister of defense; Iyad Fatieh al-Rawi, former chief of staff and a Republican Guard commander; Latif Mahal Hamoud, former Basra governor; Sufyan Maher al-Tikriti, also a former Republican Guard commander; Iyad Taha Shehab, a former intelligence chief and Walied Hamid Tawfiq al-Naseri. |
| Posted by:Fred |