Saddam’s ex-aides pliant in the dock
On a day when Saddam Hussein made his first court appearance, 11 of his erstwhile top aides also faced an Iraqi judge.
While Saddam stayed belligerent throughout his 25-minute hearing and left the court with a smirk, his aides showed respect for the judge, some addressing him politely and even expressing satisfaction to have had their day in court.
The 11 – including Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as Chemical Ali; Tariq Aziz, the former foreign minister, and Saddam’s half brothers Watban and Barzan al-Tikriti – were taken one-by-one into court for quick 10-minute appearances.
Like Saddam, they were dressed in cheap suits and open-necked shirts, bought off the rack for them by an American warrant officer. Some of them, like Aziz, remained chained around the waist during the hearing.
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But unlike Saddam, they all signed the papers put before them by the judge, acknowledging their rights before the court, and most politely made requests for lawyers.
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Unlike Saddam, the 11 aides were |
Abid Hamid Mahmoud al-Tikriti, Saddam’s one-time secretary, even managed to raise a laugh unintentionally. Asked who he’d like to represent him, he replied Malik al-Hassan, who unknown to the defendant was recently appointed Iraq’s justice minister.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, accused of some of the worst crimes during Saddam’s rule, including the gassing of the Kurds in Halabja in 1988 and the suppression of a 1991 Shia rebellion, entered the courtroom using a stick, the result of diabetes.
According to a witness, he was sober and pensive during his hearing but polite. When read his rights, he replied: “Thank you.” When told what he was accused of, he said he was happy with the accusations “because I am innocent of them.”
After their appearance, all 11 were herded together and taken back to where they are being held, separate from one another, in an undisclosed location.