Iraqi Leaders Demand Saddam Trial

15/12/2003| IslamWeb

Iraqi leaders say they want Saddam Hussein put on trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity following his capture. The former dictator is in US custody after being found in a hole under a mud hut near his home town of Tikrit. US President George Bush said he "will face the justice he denied to millions," without giving details of conditions or venue for the trial. But the head of Iraq's interim council Abdel Aziz al-Hakim said he wanted the ousted leader "judged by Iraqi judges". The former president was shown on television being examined by an American military doctor after his capture - he looked tired and dishevelled, with a greying beard. US officials have not revealed where he is being held, but US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had so far refused to give the US military any intelligence information. He said that while lawyers were still discussing Saddam Hussein's legal status, he would be accorded the privileges of being a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention. **Unrepentant, even defiant*** Members of Iraq's Governing Council said the former president showed no remorse when he was brought before them for further identification in Baghdad on Sunday. Council member Adnan Pachachi said: "We found him obviously tired and haggard but he was unrepentant and even defiant. He told us he was a just and firm ruler." Mr Pachachi added: "We will deal with Saddam Hussein. He was an unjust ruler responsible for the deaths of thousands of people." President Bush said the capture had brought to an end a "dark and painful" era for the Iraqi people. But he warned it did not mean the end of violence in Iraq. A special tribunal was set up in Iraq last week to try leading members of the former government. Some human rights groups say an international tribunal - without the power to award the death penalty - would be preferable to a trial in Iraq. **Arab reaction*** The news of Saddam Hussein's arrest prompted scenes of jubilation among some Iraqis and was welcomed by many world leaders. President Chirac of France, who fiercely opposed the American-led war in Iraq, said it would strongly contribute to democracy and stability in Iraq. Kuwait - invaded by Saddam Hussein's forces 13 years ago - called it the moment the whole world had been waiting for. But a number of Arabs expressed amazement and disappointment that the Iraqi leader had given in to his pursuers without a fight. The US said the operation to capture the former president involved various US units and was launched within 24 hours of receiving a tip-off from a member of Saddam Hussein's clan. **Interrogation *** US officials made clear Saddam faces intensive interrogation both over what he knows about the ongoing resistance against the US-led occupation, and about alleged weapons of mass destruction - the basis for going to war. Anonymous US officials who have reviewed transcripts of Saddam Hussein's initial questioning are quoted as saying it is full of rhetoric. Time magazine reported that he talked about the Iraqi people being in bondage but that he has denied possessing weapons of mass destruction. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is filmed after his capture in this footage released December 14, 2003. U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit announced U.S. administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer, in a major coup for Washington's beleaguered occupation force in Iraq.