does anyone know when Saddam's trial date was set?

[G_j]

Has this date (Oct. 19) been known for a while, or did it just come out of the blue?

[enigma000]

1. Early Sept. 2005

The date was set early last month

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/04/iraq.main /

I guess they wanted to do it after the referendum. Maybe they want Saddam gone by the time the election is held.

[G_j]

3. thank you

that answers my question. :-)

[hang a left]

2. Check out this story from yesterday...

Iraqi PM Complains of Delay in Saddam Case

By HAMZA HENDAWI
Associated Press Writer




BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari complained Monday that the Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein took an unjustifiably long time to prepare its case and brushed aside concerns that the court could be biased against the former dictator.

"I don't think there are any more clear-cut crimes in the world than those committed by Saddam," said the Shiite Muslim leader, five of whose close relatives, including an older brother, were executed by Saddam's regime in the 1980s and 1990s.

He underlined, however, that the deaths in his family did not mean that he would get a sense of personal satisfaction if the former dictator is eventually executed.

"I try to forget what happened to my brother and my cousins. It is never an issue of revenge or personal malice," al-Jaafari said during a 2 1/2-hour meeting with journalists over "iftar," the sunset meal Muslims eat to break their fast during the month of Ramadan.
snip>

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SADDAM_TRIAL?SIT...

[G_j]

4. interesting

I wonder how the Iraqi court/tribunal was formed and who it consists of.

[enigma000]

5. Saddam trial judges were secretly trained in Britain

The judges who will begin trying Saddam Hussein tomorrow have been secretly trained in Britain in recent months, it emerged yesterday.

The International Bar Association confirmed that it had helped to train the 20 Iraqi judges who make up the Special Tribunal, including the five sitting for Saddam’s trial. Training was also held for 23 prosecutors
-snip-
The training, run by judges and lawyers from countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, and America, was aimed at explaining international criminal law and how it could be seen in the context of the civil code system of criminal law in Iraq.


Try this Link:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1830487,00.html

[G_j]

6. this seems positive

but then I just read this:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1018-04.htm

Published on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 by OneWorld.net
Saddam Trial Unlikely to Meet International Legal Standards, Warn Experts

by Haider Rizvi

UNITED NATIONS - As Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi government leaders are brought before a special tribunal this week to face criminal charges, legal scholars in the United States and experts at the United Nations warn of possible violations of international standards for fair trials.

"We have grave concerns that the court will not provide the fair trial guarantees required by international law," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at the Human Rights Watch, one of the world's leading rights advocacy groups.

Last Sunday, the group released an 18-page briefing paper, providing a concise explanation of human rights concerns arising from the statute of the "Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal" established to try the deposed Iraqi leader and others.

Legal experts point out that the Tribunal has no requirements to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that it also lacks adequate protections for the accused to mount a defense on conditions equal to those enjoyed by the prosecution.


..more..