News 2005

Five face trial for retaliation killings in Iraq
March 1, 2005

The Associated Press:

Five former members of Saddam Hussein's regime, including one of his half brothers, will go on trial for crimes against humanity, a special tribunal said Monday.

The crimes allegedly were committed in retaliation for a failed attempt to kill the former dictator.

The announcement marked the first time the special court has issued referrals, similar to indictments, the final step before trials can start.

No date was given. Because of a mandatory waiting period, at least 45 days must pass from Monday's referral before a trial can begin.

The five include Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, one of Hussein's half brothers, and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan. The three others were senior Baath Party members.

The five were charged for their alleged involvement in a crackdown in Dujail, 50 miles north of Baghdad, that was organized in retaliation for a failed 1982 assassination attempt against Hussein.

At least 50 Iraqis allegedly were executed in the Shiite town.

The referrals were the first of many expected to be issued in coming weeks, including one against Hussein's notorious cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali.” In December, investigative judges summoned al-Majid for closed-door preliminary hearings for his role in poison gas attacks against Iraq's Kurdish minority.

The three others on trial were identified as Awad Hamad al-Bander Al-S'adun, a former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, Abdullah Kadam Roweed al-Musheikhi, and his son, Mizher Roweed al-Musheikhi.

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