AMNESTY International and Human Rights Watch today condemned the death sentences handed to Saddam Hussein and two of his senior allies for crimes against humanity. Amnesty described their trial as a “shabby affair, marred by serious flaws”. The London-based human rights group – which opposes capital punishment – said | The trial should have helped the process of establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq but was in fact “deeply flawed and unfair”. |
“This trial should have been a major contribution towards establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq, and in ensuring truth and accountability for the massive human rights violations perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's rule,” said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa program. “In practice, it has been a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws that call into question the capacity of the tribunal, as currently established, to administer justice fairly, in conformity with international standards.”
Amnesty charged that “political interference undermined the independence and impartiality of the court”, prompting the first presiding judge to resign and the appointment of another to be blocked. The court also failed to take adequate measures to protect witnesses and defence lawyers, three of whom were killed during the trial, it said. Saddam himself was denied access to legal counsel for the first year after his arrest, while there appeared to have been inadequate responses to complaints by lawyers throughout the judicial process, Amnesty said.