BAGHDAD, 10 October 2005 — Saddam Hussein is to stand trial on Oct. 19, but the first day will likely consist of a simple reading of charges against him and top aides along with motions by defense lawyers, a source close to the court said yesterday.
The legal expert did not rule out a trial adjournment at the end of the day, meaning that subsequent hearings might not take place for several weeks.
The defendants — Saddam and seven close associates — are charged with the 1982 murders of 143 inhabitants of Dujail, a Shiite village north of Baghdad where the former Iraqi strongman was the target of a suspected assassination attempt.
If convicted, Saddam faces death by hanging, the source said, adding that the trial would take place under tight security.
“Things that could take place on the first day are the court informing the defense council what is expected of them, hearing from the defendants that they are present, that they are represented by counsel and the reading of the criminal violations that the defendants are accused of,” he explained.
“The defense may have arguments for more access to documents” held by prosecutors, while Saddam and the seven others “might just give their names” without facing further questions.
Meanwhile, Arab League officials arrived in Baghdad to prepare for their chief’s first trip to war-torn Iraq and to help stem divisions between Iraqis ahead of Saturday’s constitutional referendum.
“We have come to prepare for a visit by the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa,” Ahmed Ben Helli, the Algerian head of the delegation, told AFP.
It would be the first by an Arab League chief since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Baghdad has often reproached the pan-Arab body and certain Arab states for not taking a big enough role in the country’s reconstruction.“Our mission consists of meeting different representatives of the Iraqi people to prepare a calendar,” he continued, adding that Moussa could visit Baghdad before the end of October.
