saddam, us backed crimes

Defending Saddam Hussein
KANWAL TARIQ HAMEED
4 February 2006

A BAHRAINI lawyer has joined the defence team of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but says he is boycotting court hearings until the trial is held in an independent international court where safety is guaranteed to all involved.

... represent the former Iraqi ruler to fight what he called "modern-day imperialism" - accusing the US and UK of deciding people are criminals and orchestrating legal proceedings to prove it.

Mr Burshaid also believes Saddam is innocent ... In fact, he claimed the incident was started by an American-backed insurgency. ..."But anybody who says he is not must do so in a real court, ... everything must be proved. "A real judge must file a real decision." ...

a sham to justify a verdict that has already been decided and alleged that the US and UK promised to free Saddam if he stopped insurgents operating in Iraq - which he said proved they are not interested in an "honest" trial.

"The British and Americans recently made an offer to Saddam Hussein," he said. "They said: 'If you go and stop the (civil) war in Iraq we can release you and we don't want anything from you.' ... "Up until now he has refused - he said that when he is on television he will tell them to make more war because everything there is for Iraqi people and not for outsiders who have stolen oil, stolen everything from this people. ... "Now everything is destroyed in Iraq. ... "Other companies come into Iraq to make business for Americans and British. "This Iraq must be for its own people, not for other people." ...

Judge Abdel Rahman then refused the lawyers' request for more time to prepare their defence, ... "He wants to hurry, finish this case and hurry to punish Saddam Hussein, but this is not fair. ...we must take the case outside Iraq to the International Criminal Court - like (former Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic and others - because there is safety ...

"Arabic people, international people, Islamic people want the facts. ... "There are many people who do bad things. Why are they not making a case against them? They have also stolen money, stolen the country (Iraq). This is the situation for the Americans and the British ... "We do not follow these two countries and make bad things in our countries.

"British and Americans want something and they make the law accordingly." ... He claimed the newly appointed judge was biased because he is a Kurd from Halabja.

Mr Burshaid accused foreign powers of being implicated in other events that took place in Iraq - not just the Dujail incident. ... Among them is the Halabja massacre, in which an estimated 5,000 civilians were reportedly killed by poison gas. ... He also slammed the lack of an investigation into the murder of two of Saddam's lawyers in November last year. ...

"There are two kinds of people - those who know what I mean about a real international court for all human being's rights and those who don't know anything and say Saddam Hussein is a killer and must be killed without a court." ... Mr Burshaid's decision to represent Saddam ... his belief that the former dictator should be given a fair trial. ...