Charges prepared for Saddam's men

BAGHDAD - An Iraqi tribunal preparing to try Saddam Hussein plans to charge some of his associates by the end of this year, a senior court official says.

Salem Chalabi, the top court administrator, said the tribunal was looking at 14 major crimes committed by an unspecified number of people who served under the toppled Iraqi president.

"Right now we are investigating major crimes. The indictments are expected to start by the end of this year," he said without elaborating.

The court hopes former Saddam aides captured by US occupation troops will testify against him during their prosecution, which could take many months.

Officials say Saddam's aides will be tried before the former dictator appears in the dock in a Baghdad complex that once stored gifts for him.

The aides' trials could help the tribunal prove a chain of command linking Saddam to crimes against humanity.

American troops captured Saddam in December and are holding him at an undisclosed location in Iraq.

Prosecutors will seek to prove that Saddam ordered atrocities such as a chemical attack on the Kurds in 1988 and the crushing of Shi'ite and Kurdish uprisings in 1991.

Many Iraqis, who were silenced by fear for decades, discovered mass graves holding their loved ones after the US-led invasion ousted Saddam last year. Families of victims have set up groups to lobby for justice.

But directly implicating Saddam in the alleged torture and killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis may not be easy.

Iraq's new interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, who escaped an assassination attempt by Saddam's agents during exile, raised the emotional issue of justice for Saddam and his associates during his first televised speech to the nation last week.

He then met tribunal officials to discuss court proceedings and the cases.

A government spokesman said Allawi was keen to ensure fair but speedy justice.

"The prime minister held discussions to make sure that the court bases its actions on the law. He has taken a personal interest and will help," said the spokesman.

Few Iraqis doubt that Saddam was guilty of crimes against humanity, but court officials say he must get a fair trial in a country striving for democracy after years of totalitarian rule.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq