6, November 2006 Saddam Hussein
It seems we are very selective in denouncing tyrants. Flash back to
1982 when our very own Donald Rumsfeld warmly greeted Saddam Hussein and
promised to normalize relations after a five-judge court found Hussein guilty
of executing 148 Shia men and boys from the town of Dujail. None-the-less, the
trial of Saddam Hussein has mercifully come to an end. However, the fairness
and legitimacy of the trial has received widespread criticism. Malcolm Smart,
director of the Middle East and North Africa Program, of Amnesty International
(AI) was highly critical of the verdict, declaring, “We don't consider it
was a fair process. The court was not impartial.
There were not adequate
steps taken to protect the security of defense lawyers and witnesses...."
AI’s concerns were certainly validated by the facts. Three defense
lawyers were assassinated and a sympathetic judge replaced. Predictably, the
Bush administration has shamelessly exploited the trial to deflect criticism of
its failed Iraq policy and insisted that the verdict be declared a day before
the midterm elections. This long trial has consumed $138 million of our tax
money. It is doubtful that many Iraqis still believe the invasion of their
country was to remove the Ba’athist tyrant after their country has been
decimated and its precious oil and gas resources expropriated. Let us hope the mid-term election will result
in a victory for the democrats so that the trial of our very own ‘dear leader’
can commence.
No comments:
Post a Comment