Archive » Saddam Hussein

Ed Adams at the ABA Journal e-mailed me an interesting story from the May issue about conversations behind the scenes between the judges on the Iraqi High Tribunal and the American legal advisers to the court. “Contrary to the view held by many in the international community that the proceedings were merely a show trial,” [...]

***update: the uncut version***
Video:

Jeff Goldstein reflects on Saddam Husseined.
Andy McCarthy weighs in:
I had to turn off the TV-news.
This is a solemn, important moment. It’s not a joyous one. An evil man deserved to die. His elimination was necessary — not close to sufficient, but necessary — for achieving, over time, a [...]

***1:53am Eastern update…witness Mowaffak al Rubaie describes to FNC the execution scene…”meticulously adhered to Islamic practice and ritual…no foreigners, no coalition”…body carried to ambulance/helicopter…negotiating with family on burial location…he shouted “Long live jihad!”…I have to admit he looked frightened…”he was shivering, he looked broken, frightened”…***
***11:30pm Eastern update…CNN and Arab media reporting that pictures/video expected soon…Iraqi [...]

***910pm Eastern update: US court denies Saddam’s appeal***
In the U.S.:
Lawyers for Saddam Hussein on Friday made a last-minute appeal to an American court to avert execution in Iraq, asking a judge to block his transfer from U.S. custody to the hands of Iraqi officials.
Hussein’s lawyers filed documents Friday afternoon asking for an emergency restraining [...]

***scroll for updates…1147am Fox News reporting hand-over of Saddam from US troops to Iraqis has taken place…1245pm Saddam’s lawyer Najeeb al Nauimi tells FNC that Saddam “will be smiling” when he’s brought to the gallows…more on the hand-over….1:20pm Eastern Now, FNC reporting that James Rosen’s administration sources say Hussein is still in US custody…230pm Eastern…Muslims [...]

***update: Hussein found guilty of crimes against humanity……more…PJM coverage…Sky News: he shouted “Allahu akbar!”…refused to stand for the verdict and had to be lifted to his feet by two court bailiffs…justice will not be swift: phase two and appeal begin…”Saddam is in the middle of a second crimes against humanity trial and the appeal against [...]

Saddam Hussein, the tyrant who gassed and tortured his own people en masse, will be sentenced on Sunday. Instead of seeing the conclusion of the trial as an instrument of justice, Bush critics have put on their tinfoil hats to ply more nutball conspiracy theories:
A verdict in the first criminal case against Saddam [...]

Crikey, can they hurry up and get this over with? Now, he’s shouting Koran verses and inciting violence from the courtroom when he isn’t snacking on Cheetos in his cell. It’s a circus and a nightmare:
The chief judge at Saddam Hussein’s genocide trial has expelled the former Iraqi leader from court after he shouted out [...]

This is getting ridiculous:
Saddam Hussein has been ejected from his trial in Baghdad for the third time in a week after arguing with the judge. His removal came shortly after Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa gave him a stern warning to behave himself.
The defence team representing Saddam Hussein and his six co-defendants are boycotting the trial [...]

His hunger strike lasted…less than one day. Must have been craving the infidel Cheetos.

A FoxNews.com exclusive–bookmark for weekend reading:
Ray Robison, a former member of the CIA-directed Iraq Survey Group (ISG), examined efforts by Saddam Hussein to build and hide weapons of mass destruction, and supervised a group of linguists to analyze, archive and exploit documents and materials of Saddam’s regime.
In this second of a three-part examination of a [...]

Saddam Hussein announces he’s on a hunger strike.

Who’s gonna eat his Cheetos and Doritos now?

The Brussels Journal notes a new art exhibit: Saddam the Shark.

“Iraq was not a breeding ground for terrorism. Our invasion has made it one.”–Sen. Ted Kennedy
“Iraq was not a terrorist haven before the invasion.”–Sen. John Kerry
According to a new report in the Weekly Standard by Stephen Hayes, new documents found in post-war Iraq confirm earlier reports that Saddam Hussein actively funded and trained [...]

…and Ramsey Clark is there to hold his hand. From Breitbart/AP:
The trial of Saddam Hussein for alleged crimes against humanity resumed Monday in a heavily guarded courtroom, with the former Iraqi president trying to take command of the proceedings and angrily complaining about having to walk up four flights of stairs in shackles under foreign [...]

The trial has begun. A “combative” and “defiant” Saddam Hussein pleaded not guilty to charges of crime against humanity. Via AP:
Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture Wednesday, arguing with judges and challenging the legitimacy of the court as his trial opened under heavy security in the former headquarters of his [...]

You’ve seen the photos of poor old Saddam in his skivvies, but there are some other interesting details in the New York Post’s account of Saddam’s jail life that aren’t getting as much attention.
The terribly abused tyrant gets hair dye, example, “to keep his mane youthful-looking.”
He gets three squares a day, a fluffy pillow, and [...]

James Joyner of Outside the Beltway has posted the story of an ex-Marine of Arab descent who is accusing the U.S. of staging Saddam Hussein’s capture (via a web site called What Really Happened).
Ex-Sgt. Nadim Abou Rabeh, of Lebanese descent, was quoted in the Saudi daily al-Medina Wednesday as saying Saddam was actually captured Friday, [...]

Ramsey Clark, the terrorists’ lawyer, has an op-ed piece out today in the Houston Chronicle in defense of Saddam Hussein. Here’s a taste:
The United States, and the Bush administration in particular, engineered the demonization of Saddam, and it has a clear political interest in his conviction. Obviously, a fair trial of Saddam will be difficult [...]

Arthur Chrenkoff has the goods on Saddam Hussein’s international cabal of lawyers. Among those helping with Hussein’s defense are a George Soros-funded American attorney who also represents Guantanamo Bay detainees and a former lawyer for terrorist Carlos the Jackal and Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie.
Tough competition for the likes of Johnnie Cochran and Ramsey Clark, [...]

Over and over again, we are reminded that the intelligence on WMDs in Iraq was flawed. Over and over again, we are informed that there was no collaborative relationship between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. The strong implication is not just that the case for war was built on “lies” and “hype” but that [...]