Saddam to face second trial
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is set to face a second trial tomorrow - this time on charges of genocide and war crimes related to his scorched-earth offensive against Kurds two decades ago.
Saddam and six other defendants face the new trial for their alleged role in the 1980s Operation Anfal, Arabic for “spoils of war,” which killed an estimated 100,000 people. The 1987-1988 operation was launched to crush Kurdish militias and clear the Kurdish population along the Iranian border.
Saddam had accused the Kurdish militias of helping Iran.
Kurdish survivors say entire Kurdish areas in northern Iraq were razed, thousands of young men disappeared and prohibited mustard gas and nerve agents were used.
The new trial does not, however, deal with the March 1988 gassing of Halabja, one of the worst atrocities against Kurds in which an estimated 5,000 are believed to have died. That attack will be part of a separate case investigated later by the Iraqi High Tribunal.
This is the second trial Saddam has faced and comes at a time when human rights groups have raised new questions about the fairness of the proceedings.
Human Rights Watch recently claimed the Iraqi High Tribunal is incapable of fairly and effectively trying Saddam and the other defendants because the judges and lawyers do not understand international law.
The New York-based group said “serious shortcomings” in Iraq’s judicial system were revealed by the first, Dujail trial, and the court must “improve its practices if it is to do justice.”
A verdict in the troubled Dujail trial is expected when the trial reconvenes on October 16. In that case, Saddam and seven others are being judged for their alleged roles in the killings of more than 148 Shiite Muslims in the town of Dujail as punishment for an assassination attempt against Saddam there in 1982.
In the new Anfal trial, Saddam’s co-defendants include his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, who allegedly led the campaign as secretary of the Baath Party’s northern bureau. Al-Majid’s alleged role in the operation earned him the name “Chemical Ali” for the use of poison gas.
Both Saddam and al-Majid are charged with genocide.
The other defendants include Sabir al-Douri, former director of military intelligence; Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai, who was head of the Iraqi Army 1st Corps which executed the Anfal military operations; and Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, the then Mosul governor.
All seven defendants are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.
About 60 to 120 complainants and prosecution witnesses are expected to appear before the court. The judges also will review more than 9,000 documents.
Saddam is believed to be in good health and is expected to attend the Anfal trial.
