Amnesty condemns Saddam trial, death sentences

LONDON: Amnesty International on Sunday condemned the death sentences handed to Saddam Hussein and two senior aides, describing their trial as a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws.

The London-based human rights group which opposes capital punishment said the trial should have been a major contribution towards establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq but was deeply flawed and unfair.

Amnesty charged that political interference undermined the independence and impartiality of the court, prompting the first presiding judge to resign and the appointment of another to be blocked.   

The court failed to take adequate measures to protect witnesses and defence lawyers, three of whom were killed during the trial, it added.

Saddam was denied access to legal counsel for the first year after his arrest, while there appeared to have been inadequate responses to complaints by lawyers throughout the judicial process, Amnesty said.

"Every accused has a right to a fair trial, whatever the magnitude of the charge against them. This plain fact was routinely ignored through the decades of Saddam Hussein's tyranny," said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme.

"His overthrow opened the opportunity to restore this basic right and, at the same time, to ensure, fairly, accountability for the crimes of the past. It is an opportunity missed." 

Amnesty said it would follow closely the appeal stage, the procedure for which begins on Monday, saying the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal had a chance to redress the flaws of the Dujail trial in future proceedings.