Jacques Verges to defend Sadaam Hussein

Elio

Thinker
Elio
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
211
Hello everyone,

Apparently, Sadaam Hussein's nephew asked french mediatic lawyer Jacques Verges to defend his uncle. So did Tarik Aziz's family.

Will Verges be allowed to do that ?

Unfortunatly, with Verges as a laywer, there is a good chance than the whole trial will turn into a show.

On the other hand, none of the countries who supported Hussein and sold him weapons will be spared by Verges ...

Do you think Verges is the right person for this job ?

Who do you think should defend Hussein ?

See you.

Elio
 
Elio said:

Do you think Verges is the right person for this job ?

Who do you think should defend Hussein ?
Click to expand...

Well, does this Verges fellow speak Arabic? If not, seems kind of useless to me to have him be the defense attorney. The trial is almost certainly going to be held in Arabic, since it's going to be Iraqis who try him.

I'm sure there will be no shortage of lawyers willing to defend the bastard. My guess is he'll end up with a Syrian lawyer, but that's not based on anything specific, just a hunch.
 
I find it ironic Saddam will have a lawyer unlike the 5000 Kurds he killed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis he killed.
 
Hello Ziggurat. Nice to meet you.

Well, does this Verges fellow speak Arabic? If not, seems kind of useless to me to have him be the defense attorney. The trial is almost certainly going to be held in Arabic, since it's going to be Iraqis who try him.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe with translators.... That shouldn't be a problem.... :-)

I'm sure there will be no shortage of lawyers willing to defend the bastard. My guess is he'll end up with a Syrian lawyer, but that's not based on anything specific, just a hunch.
Click to expand...

Why a Syrian a lawer ? Of course Sadaam Hussein is a bastard ! But do you think he has the right to have a laywer. So, Why not Verges ?

Helllo zenith-nadir. Nice to meet you too.

I find it ironic Saddam will have a lawyer unlike the 5000 Kurds he killed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis he killed.
Click to expand...

Why is it ironic ? The killing of 5''000 kurds and the assasination of Iraqui people will be part of the accusation.

Take care.

Hello
 
zenith-nadir said:
I find it ironic Saddam will have a lawyer unlike the 5000 Kurds he killed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis he killed.
Click to expand...

That´s because WE are the good guys. Or aren´t we?
 
Where's Saddam?

I saw this report on Yahoo. Although it talks about who might defend Saddam, it says very little about where Saddam is and when we might see him again. Anyone have anything further on that?

I am surprised that Saddam hasn't been trotted out to show how well Bush is fighting the war on terror. But maybe that will be the "October surprise"...? :eek:
 
We have been over this.

Johnny Cochran, no contest.



16-rose3-225.jpg


He is the man.

"Hussain was fine, it was the Jews all the time"

Theater, pure and simple.
 
Well, law is law. Saddaam Hussein is as entitled to exploit its opportunities as anyone.

That said, he really needs a lawyer now. I think we need to demonstrate to the world community that we are not abusing any of the people we have incarcerated and "interrogated".

It concerns me that prisoners' rights are not being protected--whether officially a POW like Sadaam...or anyone else that we've imprisoned. (For example, note that the information about where Sadaam was hiding was "not voluntarily given" by Sadaam's bodyguard. I'd like to know how, exactly, it was coersed and if the procedures followed international law--and basic principles of morality? :confused: )


And, Ed, it's not a good idea to put something in quotes--even though Cochran never said any such thing--just because you're making a point about his legal style.
 
Ed :

We have been over this.

Johnny Cochran, no contest.

He is the man.

"Hussain was fine, it was the Jews all the time"
Click to expand...

Really ? He said that ?


Well... At least Verges is not an antisemit !

Take care.

Elio
 
Elio said:
Ed :



Really ? He said that ?


Well... At least Verges is not an antisemit !

Take care.

Elio
Click to expand...

In defense, at least here in the States, pretty much anything goes. All you have to do is provide reasonable doubt.

Clancie, please.... You are sounding positively priggish.

Take this """""""""""""""""""""""""""""

and this: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Had enough?
 
To Ed and Dsm :

Well... It seems like your jokes are incompatible with my poor english abilities... :-)

But still...

Do you think that Verges is the right person to defend Sadaam Hussein ?

I assume that you agree that Hussein has the right to be defended by a competent lawer.

If not Verges, who else ?

Take care.

Elio
 
Elio said:
To Ed and Dsm :

Well... It seems like your jokes are incompatible with my poor english abilities... :-)

But still...

Do you think that Verges is the right person to defend Sadaam Hussein ?

I assume that you agree that Hussein has the right to be defended by a competent lawer.

If not Verges, who else ?

Take care.

Elio
Click to expand...

Beg your pardon.

Cochran would not be a silly idea, OJ aside. Of course, if he is defended by a non-moslem charges of "fix" will fly. Problem is is there anything like objective law in those wackey islamist states over there?

It would be really hilarious if he were defended by an Isreali:D

Seriously, does anyone really practice law over there? That was the problem IIRC about getting an Iraqi to defend.
 
Well, this is the point ...

I think even someone like Sadaam Hussein has right to a fair trial.

And by the way, Irak is not supposed to be a "wackey islamist" country anymore. (and it wasn't a "wackey islamist" country before...).

But still, who must judge Sadaam Hussein ?

Take care.

Elio
 
zenith-nadir said:
I find it ironic Saddam will have a lawyer unlike the 5000 Kurds he killed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis he killed.
Click to expand...

Any victim of murder deserves of much better fate than that which befalls them.
But as a civilzed society, we give the accused fair trials. That is what seperates us from them.
 
ZN:
"Anyone find it ironic Saddam will have a lawyer unlike the 5000 Kurds he killed and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis he killed?"

No, it's not ironic, since the Kurds and Shi'ia Saddam murdered had not been charged with anything, so why would they need a lawyer?

More ironic is the fact that the UK and US are planning to try Saddam for crimes that they participated in, supported, and for which they should be co-defendants.

You're about as bright as that 14 Year Arab boy who tried to blow himself up (except he suffered brain damage from a car accident - what's your excuse?).

That's what you do in a democracy sunshine (even a "dodgy democracy" like US/UK). The prosecution will detail his many crimes and the defense will attempt to mitigate...but I wouldn`t hold my breath thinking that will happen in this case anyway.


Incidently, are you sure you're reporting this accurately Elio? Everything I've read suggests that it's a Baathist lawyer in Iraq, Badie Arief, a civil rather than a criminal lawyer, acting on behalf of a number of the members of the former regime, who's approaching Jaques Verges, initially for advice. Saddam's nephew approached Arief to represent his own father who was arrested shortly after Baghdad fell and not Saddam. While Tariq Aziz's family have met with Verges to discuss the possibility of his defending Aziz if he's tried, there's nothing to suggest Saddam's daughters have requested his help.
Any sources to clear this up?
 
Ed said:
We have been over this.

Johnny Cochran, no contest.



16-rose3-225.jpg


He is the man.

"Hussain was fine, it was the Jews all the time"

Theater, pure and simple.
Click to expand...

If the beret don't fit, you must acquit!!
 
Demon :

Incidently, are you sure you're reporting this accurately Elio? Everything I've read suggests that it's a Baathist lawyer in Iraq, Badie Arief, a civil rather than a criminal lawyer, acting on behalf of a number of the members of the former regime, who's approaching Jaques Verges, initially for advice. Saddam's nephew approached Arief to represent his own father who was arrested shortly after Baghdad fell and not Saddam. While Tariq Aziz's family have met with Verges to discuss the possibility of his defending Aziz if he's tried, there's nothing to suggest Saddam's daughters have requested his help.
Any sources to clear this up?.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I can't seem to find an english link.

Just in case, here's one in french :
http://www.romandie.com/ats/NewsATS/display.asp?page=20040327234002248172019048030.xml

Verges says he got a letter from Hussein's nephew. He also asked the Red Cross to be able to meet Hussein.
 
No idea if Verges is the right man for the job. But he cannot, at least officially, be the lead attorney.

Saddam will be tried by the Special Tribunal.

Go to this site to read it all.

Here is Article 20 from it:


Article 20.
a) All persons shall be equal before the Tribunal.

b) Everyone shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty before the Tribunal in accordance with the law.

c) In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of the Statute and the rules of procedure made hereunder.

d) In the determination of any charge against the accused pursuant to the present Statute, the accused shall be entitled to a fair hearing conducted impartially and to the following minimum guarantees:

1. to be informed promptly and in detail of the nature, cause and content of the charge against him;

2. to have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defense and to communicate freely with counsel of his own choosing in confidence. The accused is entitled to have non-Iraqi legal representation, so long as the principal lawyer of such accused is Iraqi;

3. to be tried without undue delay;

4. to be tried in his presence, and to defend himself in person or through legal assistance of his own choosing; to be informed, if he does not have legal assistance, of this right; and to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such case if he does not have sufficient means to pay for it;

5. to examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him. The accused shall also be entitled to raise defences and to present other evidence admissible under this Statute and Iraqi law; and

6. not to be compelled to testify against himself or to confess guilt, and to remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence.
Click to expand...

Especially note sub-paragraph #2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom