December 5, 2006

HERE'S ONE ENJOYABLE TRANSLATION OF HIS REMARKS:

Saddam tells judge will stop attending hearings (Reuters, 12/5/06)

Saddam Hussein wrote to the judge in the ethnic Kurdish genocide trial to tell him he would no longer attend court sessions to protest against being repeatedly silenced from speaking, his chief lawyer said on Tuesday.

In the letter which was handed to a defense team lawyer who saw him on Monday, the former Iraqi leader said he and his defense team had been denied "clarifying the truth" over his role in a military campaign that killed up to 180,000 people.

Saddam, who is awaiting an appeal against a death sentence from a separate case for the killing of Shi'ite villagers in the 1980s, was furious when the judge refused to give him an opportunity to refute prosecution allegations he swindled $10 billion of state assets.

"When I tried to clarify what happened by raising my hand three times I was not given a chance," Saddam wrote in the handwritten letter released by his lawyers.


"I'm not showing up because there are a bunch of Kurdish people in this courtroom who want to personally kill me, and even Ramsey Clark can't get me out of that one."

Posted by Matt Murphy at December 5, 2006 7:55 PM
Comments

"I strenuously object?" Is that how it works? Hm? "Objection."
"Overruled."
"Oh, no, no, no. No, I STRENUOUSLY object."
"Oh. Well, if you strenuously object then I should take some time to reconsider."

Posted by: Mike Beversluis at December 5, 2006 11:28 PM

More like, "I'm not showing up because I am going to be getting a fair trial."

Posted by: Barry Meislin at December 6, 2006 3:15 AM

They should hang Ramsey Clark first. Then tell Saddam they'll get to him next if he doesn't show up.

Posted by: Tom Wall at December 6, 2006 4:34 AM

Once again, this calls to mind a great wizard of Id cartoon in wich a peasant type, standing on a scaffold with a noose around his neck, says to his lawyer, who is drawn to look like W.C. Fields, "I thougt you said my case was being appealed to a higher court." The lawyer replies as he descend to scaffold steps with his briefcase, "Keep your shirt on, Ace."

Posted by: Lou Gots at December 6, 2006 4:55 AM
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