The western system of justice, which the USA and others are attempting to install in Iraq, contains the concept of a presumption of innocence. It also contains a concept of a fair and impartial trial. These are two significant impediments to him ever actually being found guilty. As Ewen MacAskill observes in The Guardian
The problem is in tying Saddam and Milosevic to actual crimes. Both established the climate in which these crimes took place but legally it is difficult to establish guilt. The law becomes confused with the politics of the time.
The other problem is finding a jury who you could legitimately claim would approach the trial with an open mind. In most western judicial systems he would never go to trial for exactly this reason.
Here is a gigantic challenge for the USA. If, in a USA style of justice, Saddam should be released would the USA support such an action. The Green Man seriously doubts it and as such their claim to want justice for the people of Iraq, including Saddam, is mere window dressing.
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or read the most recent entries here.Hey GM:
This is a bit harsh, eh? Using this logic, the war crimes trials of the captured Nazis at Nuremburg would've resulted in acquittal, too. After all, genocide was legal in Nazi Germany...
I do agree that these kinds of things present challanges - but relying on "law" rather than justice cannot be the answer.
Be well,
Dave H.
You may be correct about the Nazi stuff Dave although I suspect that the Nazi regime never actually bothered with adjusting legislation.
Putting that aside however, the piece was intended to get the readership thinking on the nexus between law and justice. The western judicial system is not perfect and justice is not seen to be done on many occasions. The western world at large may be happy to abandon their legal precedents in exceptional circumstances to see justice prevail but surely it should be done with honesty about what we are doing, not going through the farsical trial where the outcome is predetermined.
Posted by: greenman at July 7, 2004 08:20 AM