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Saddam's lawyers face obstacles to demands
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-14 21:05
In their statement Sunday, the lawyers didn't say whether Saddam's chief
Iraqi attorney, Khalil al-Dulaimi, was among those who withdrew. But they said
other members of the team will continue their duties in Baghdad under "dangerous
circumstances." Al-Dulaimi has suggested that defense lawyers would not show up
for the next session of the special tribunal, set for later this month.
Raid Juhi, one of the judges, said the withdrawals "will not affect the work
of the court," adding that the Iraqi High Tribunal would appoint a new team if
defense lawyers fail to appear. But he conceded that changing lawyers could
result in delays because the new team would presumably need time to prepare its
case.
Alani warned that Saddam would reject a court-appointed lawyer, in which case
he said the trial would degenerate into a "total farce."
"The trial would proceed in the absence of the defendant because the
defendant would refuse to cooperate. They might as well sentence them without a
trial," he said.
Such a situation arose at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic, who is defending himself against war crimes charges before a U.N.
tribunal at The Hague.
Last year the court appointed a lawyer to defend Milosevic but he refused to
cooperate, as did most of his witnesses, and the trial ground to a halt.
Ultimately the court-appointed lawyer quit, saying trying to defend a hostile
client was impossible.
Saddam and seven co-defendants are on trial for the 1982
deaths of 148 Shiite Muslims. Proceedings began Oct. 19 and are set to resume
Nov. 28. If convicted, they could be executed by hanging.
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