Saddam Verdict in Five Years
Looks like it make take as long as five years before we have a trial and verdict for Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi officials and judges involved in setting up Baghdad’s new war crimes court have revealed that Saddam Hussein’s trial will not be finished for five years, despite the clamour for speedy justice since his arrest last week.
The desire among many ordinary Iraqis for their former dictator to be tried rapidly must be sacrificed to the need for a full and open hearing that satisfies international legal standards, officials say.
That actually sounds reasonable to me. If he’s going to get a fair trial and a fair verdict, then it’s going take time for both prosecution and defense (because there can’t be a fair trial without a competent and vigorous defense for the accused) to gather evidence, locate witnesses, etc.
Too bad the Bushies won’t get the added bounce of having a trial and verdict before the election.
December 22nd, 2003 at 12:29 am
Hmm what happened to all the talk about him being executed by the summer? Oh wait a minute, never mind, one has nothing to do with the other!