Chalabi works on Saddam tribunal | |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/06/09 15:14 Shanghai Daily | |
Fearing for his life, an American-educated Iraqi assigned to set up the court to try Saddam Hussein works from a secret office and rarely sleeps in the same bed twice. Salem chalabi's daily routine illustrates the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that shadows the 6-month-old Iraqi Special Tribunal as it struggles to its feet. War crimes experts say that as long as violence prevails in Iraq, the trial of Saddam and at least 100 of his cohorts suspected of committing atrocities against the Iraqi people will have to wait - unless a foreign venue can be found. "It's a monumental task, especially in light of the security situation," said Chalabi, 41, a nephew of former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi, who recently had a falling out with Washington. Judges are refusing to work for the tribunal after five potential candidates were killed since Saddam was toppled from power last year. At least half of the court's first budget - tens of millions of dollars - will go to security alone, Chalabi said in an interview. "Due to the poor security situation, the assassinations and assaults - judges mostly have fears about that - they are refusing to be members of the court," said Dara Nor al-Din, a Kurdish judge and former member of Iraq's Governing Council. Richard goldstone, the first prosecutor at the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said it will take one year to 18 months to set up a new tribunal, at best. The yugoslav tribunal was established in the Netherlands in 1993 while the Balkan wars were still going on. In Iraq, fighting between insurgents and the occupying coalition troops claims lives each day, making it virtually impossible to send investigators into the field. Although iraq insists on trying Saddam itself, Goldstone recommended a court with international judges and prosecutors working alongside Iraqis, a formula used successfully by the UN tribunal for Sierra Leone. He suggested an alternate location in the Arab world, such as the United Arab Emirates. "After 38 years under Saddam Hussein it is unlikely there is really a system of prosecutors and judges that could run it alone," Goldstone said. But chalabi, who has visited The Hague to see other tribunals operate, is convinced that Iraqi judges and prosecutors can be trained for the task - which could include the death penalty. The baghdad-born Chalabi studied at Yale, Columbia and Northwestern University in the United States and holds degrees in law and international affairs. He said the court doesn't expect to hold trials anytime soon. The former Iraq dictator has been held in an undisclosed location since he was seized last December. (The Associated Press)
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