Happy Birthday Mr. Hussein

Agitprop would like to wish ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein a Happy Birthday! Today Saddam Hussein turns 68 years old:

It is the dictator's second birthday behind bars at a US base near Baghdad airport since his capture in December 2003 near his hometown of Tikrit. Saddam faces a number of charges of crimes against humanity for his regime's campaign against the Kurds and the brutal suppression of a Shiite Muslim uprising in 1991. No date has been set for his trial.

Hey Saddam, Iraq must look great from your prison cell. Today the new prime minister chose cabinet ministers, effectively creating Iraq's first freely* elected government in over fifty years. Just keep on praying that your country collapses into complete civil war because that's your only ticket to escaping prison. In all honesty I will enjoy hearing the news about your coming trial as you deserve to be punished for the crimes you have inflicted on your people. Too bad that other evil dictators/CIA stooges like Mobutu and Pinochet have gone unpunished. You're a good place to start though.

*The current Iraqi government is in fact a U.S. puppet government which was brought about by questionable elections in which people voted for party lists, not individual candidates. The media continues to use the world "freely" to describe the nature of the elections thus I use it here.

Comments

[The Alchemist]

The Alchemist got burned on that one. He wrote a post saying a cabinet still has not been anounced two hours before it was anounced, oh well.

The real question is 'who has the right to try SH'? It cannot by the Us or any colaition country as he never actualy harmed them (at least not until we invaded). He cannot be tried by the new Iraqi governemnt, both because it is actualy a division of the Pentagon and because he would not get a fair trial. He cannot be tried by the Iraqi judicial system 'cos there aint one.

It's dificult no?

[Agitprop]

Alchemist,

I assume Saddam could be tried in the International Criminal Court. However the US has done much to undermine the credibility of the ICC by abandoning membership in the ICC and demonizing it. Moreover, Saddam's legal defense has some merit. The invasion of Iraq and overthrowing of his regime was technically illegal. The Iraqi government has no true sovereign legitimacy since it has been installed by foreign powers. Thus you are correct in stating that there is a questionable legal basis from which to try him. I’m looking forward to his trial once the Jacko trial is over.