Iraq Refers First Case Involving Saddam Officials for Trial
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2005 -- Iraq's new court system is moving forward on
prosecuting five men charged with mass executions following an attempt on
former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's life in 1982.
Chief Investigative Judge Raid Juhi referred five defendants to a trial chamber
to face the charges Feb. 28. The case is the first involving charges against
officials connected with the former regime.
According to U.S. Embassy officials in Baghdad, who discussed the Iraqi Special
Tribunal's announcement with reporters Feb. 28, rules of the court system
require a 45-day waiting period before the trial can begin.
The trial will be an open, public proceeding that a U.S. Embassy official said
will be "the true test of transparency" for Iraq's court system as the
country's citizens get an opportunity to see the evidence presented to a five-
member Iraqi special tribunal and the decisions made.
Throughout the trial, "innocence is presumed," the official said.
A U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad described the course of events that led to
the mass executions more than two decades ago. On July 8, 1982, Saddam was
passing through the agricultural town of Dajil, Iraq, near Balad, when an
unsuccessful assassination attempt was launched against him.
Although the evidence demonstrates that the attempt was "a crime of opportunity
where a few people attempted to fire at Saddam Hussein," the official said the
backlash was "devastating" and targeted the entire village. Saddam's men
executed some 143 men on charges of being members of the outlawed Dawa party.
In addition, they incarcerated an estimated 1,500 residents for up to four
years without charges, destroyed many of their homes, and stripped the
surrounding land so it could no longer be used for farming.
The defendants include three officials from the former regime: Barazan Ibrahim
Hassan, 53, half-brother to the former dictator and chief of his security
forces; Taha Yasin Ramadan, 66, former deputy prime minister and long-time
Saddam confidant; and Awad al-Bandar, 60, former chief judge for the
Revolutionary Court.
Also charged were Abdullah Ruwid, 79, a long-term Baathist who headed the Alm
Shaykh tribe, and his son, Muzir Ruwid, 50. Both were residents of Dajil who
allegedly participated in the roundup of their fellow citizens following the
assassination attempt.
All five have legal representation, officials said, with both Ruwids being
represented by the same attorney.
After hearing the case, the five-judge panel will decide on the defendants'
guilt or innocence and, if appropriate, sentencing. If convicted, the U.S.
Embassy official said the defendants could face incarceration or death.
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