Posted on 06/18/2004 7:27:42 AM PDT by TexKat
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S.-appointed Iraqi judge has issued an arrest warrant for one of the fiercest opponents of former President Saddam Hussein in connection with murder, politicians and lawyers familiar with the case said Friday.
Abdul Karim al-Mohammadawi is known as "Prince of the Marshes" for leading resistance to Saddam in Iraq's southern marshlands even after the ousted dictator drained the wetlands in a campaign to crush Shi'ite rebels in the 1980s and 1990s.
The warrant states that Mohammadawi, a former member of Iraq's now defunct Governing Council, is wanted in connection with the murder of a police officer in southern Amara province several weeks ago.
His two brothers are also wanted in relation to the same case. Prosecutors say the three, whose whereabouts are unclear, were present when the police officer was killed.
Mohammadawi's supporters condemned the arrest warrant and questioned the impartiality of judges appointed by the U.S.-led administration handling the case.
"The occupier set up these courts to compromise our dignity," said a statement issued by the Union of Iraqi Tribes, printed in the al-Sabah newspaper.
"We stand by Sheikh Mohammadawi and condemn the illegal courts of the occupation," it said.
Mohammadawi is regarded as an ally of Ahmad Chalabi, a former exile and Iraqi National Congress head whose once close relationship with U.S. officials has cooled.
The two men became members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council last year. The council dissolved itself this month to make room for a new interim government.
Zuhair al-Maliki, the judge in charge of Mohammadawi's case, also issued arrest warrants against Chalabi's chief of security and other aides last month for various alleged crimes.
Chalabi's party questioned Maliki's independence and credentials, saying he was a junior lawyer who had worked as a translator for U.S. forces before the U.S.-led administration appointed him as an investigating judge.
"This judge is issuing arrest warrants upon the wishes of non-Iraqi parties," said a letter by the Iraqi National Congress to the justice minister. "He is taking political orders to assassinate the character of national figures who struggled for decades to save this country."
A member of Iraq (news - web sites)'s former Governing Council, Abdelkarim Mohammadawi, speaks to a journalist after the first meeting of the council in this file photo taken July 25, 2003. A U.S.-appointed Iraqi judge has issued a warrant to arrest Mohammadawi, one of the fiercest opponents of former President Saddam Hussein in connection with murder, politicians and lawyers familiar with the case said on Friday. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
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