Saddam judge orders arrest of key defence lawyer

Jay Deshmukh

The genocide trial of Saddam Hussein was once again thrown into chaos as the chief judge ejected a key defence lawyer and also ordered his arrest for a day. Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah ordered the arrest Wednesday of Badie Aref, always a vocal presence in the trial, for "violating professional conduct" (...) Saddam's trials, including the previous one in which he has been handed a death sentence, have been marred by chaotic sessions with accused and their attorneys often ejected from the courtroom. On Tuesday, a working party of the United Nations Human Rights Council said the previous trial had fallen so far short of international standards that Saddam's detention was "arbitrary", and as such the death sentence should not be carried out...

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