Lawyers Want to Visit Saddam in Captivity

Associated Press ^ | 12/22/03 | SHAFIKA MATTAR

[TexKat]

AMMAN, Jordan - Jordanian and French attorneys want to visit Saddam Hussein in captivity so they can offer to represent him before an Iraqi war crimes tribunal, the Jordanian lawyer said Monday.

Saleh Armouti and French attorney Emmanuel Ludot are asking the U.S. State Department for permission to visit Saddam, who is being held by the American military at an undisclosed location in Iraq after his Dec. 13 capture.

"As soon as we get the authorization from the State Department we shall travel to Iraq and meet with Saddam Hussein to get an official empowerment from him," Armouti told The Associated Press.

The Arab state, while maintaining close relations with the United States, also has historically strong ties with neighboring Iraq and relied on Saddam's regime for its entire oil supply.

Jordanian professional organizations, including the bar association, have long supported Saddam, including during Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Bar association president Hussein Mejali said last week he believed Saddam was unlawfully deposed by coalition forces and unlawfully captured by U.S. troops.

Mejali on Monday wrote to Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and urged him to use international laws to ensure that Saddam is not tried and instead is handed over to a neutral country or the Red Cross.

Iraqi Governing Council members have said Saddam will be tried in a special war crimes tribunal established with provisions taken from the International Criminal Court.

No decision has been made on how or when Saddam will be tried or what charges he will face. The tribunal was created days before U.S. troops captured Saddam near his hometown of Tikrit.

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark said Friday he would represent Saddam, but added it was unlikely an international court would allow a non-Arabic speaking foreigner who was not trained in the Arabic legal tradition to participate.

[TexKat]

An Iraqi newspapers street vendor uses stones to weigh down newspapers bearing Saddam Hussein's image in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday Dec. 21, 2003. Images of Saddam are being placed on the front of Iraqi newspapers daily as interest in the fate of the former Iraqi leader swells. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

[TexKat]

Lawyers for Saddam ping.

[RonF]

"As soon as we get the authorization from the State Department Hell freezes over we shall travel to Iraq and meet with Saddam Hussein to get an official empowerment from him," Armouti told The Associated Press.

[night reader]

Lawyers Want to Visit Saddam in Captivity

I 'spect I've got about as much chance of seeing Sadaam as these two... and I'm not even applying.

[Pubbie]

[Diogenesis]

Seems very reasonable if they agree to share his fate (present and future).

[freedumb2003]

I 'spect I've got about as much chance of seeing Sadaam as these two... and I'm not even applying.

Garagos OTOH...

[petercooper]

Johnnie Cochran just jumped on a flight over there.

[Tall_Texan]

I always imagined "Baghdad Bob" would be representing him. Or possibly David Kendall.

[New Horizon]

Johnnie Cochran just jumped on a flight over there.

If he smells like sh!t, you must acquit.

[Pubbie]

I think Geragos is an even bigger crook than Cochran is.

[San Jacinto]

"As soon as we get the authorization from the State Department we shall travel to Iraq and meet with Saddam Hussein

A truer statement was never said. LOL!

[Bikers4Bush]

"but added it was unlikely an international court would allow a non-Arabic
speaking foreigner who was not trained in the Arabic legal tradition to participate."

And there it is folks, how any lawyer who represent sodom boy will defend him. Arab/islamic law.

[Itzlzha]

Jordanian and French attorneys want to visit Saddam Hussein in captivity so they can offer to represent him before an Iraqi war crimes tribunal, the Jordanian lawyer said Monday.

Hmmm....an interesting pair of Nationalities here...under WHAT law will they be operating, and are they qualified?

French...first in surrender, first in litigation...LAST in hygeine!

Jordan...now wasn't there a thread about 1 month ago about a Jordanian banker that blew the whistle on Saddam and Jordan's money laundering process...and said banker was himself set up and falsely accused of impropriety...didn't he flee with the evidence? So the world should be comfortable with Jordanian jurisprudence?

And why would Jordan be soooooo interested in Saddam's rights?

[Swanks]

Jordanian and French attorneys...

French need to bottle up damaging information that Saddam knows all too well.

[Salvey]

I wonder what messages they'll be conveying to him.

[Tacis]

I've also asked the State Department for permission to visit Saddam. The Junior Choir has a fund raising project going and I'd like to sell him some taffy. Just as soon as State approves, I'm hoping to sell him at least three boxes. If he claims all that cash as his personal allowance, then he may be in the market for lots of personal consumer items. Contact State, get on the list. He may need cable service, a cell 'phone, one of those stairmaster thingees, take-out pizza, his tires rotated. Yeah, call State; get on his visiting list!

[Astronaut]

What kind of scumbag terrorist loving traitor is Ramsay Clark? How did this leftist weasel who is obviously committed to destroying America and helping our enemies ever get appointed as US Attorney General? Good thing he is really old and will soon be in Hell with the 9/11 hijackers, PLO murderers, and other assorted vermin.

[lambo]

Did Saddam ask to see them? Otherwise, this is champerty and barratry -- "ambulance-chasing" to the layman.

[lambo]

P.S. That's why lawyers are so expensive. Takes a lot of dough to translate Old French.