Trying Saddam Hussein may be a lot harder than anyone thought. And it’s not just the fate of the former Iraqi dictator that’s at stake, it’s also the future of a country that is desperately trying to move ahead. Many Iraqis want to see Saddam executed. Some, it seems, want him set free; but the real challenge will be to conduct a trial that most Iraqis see as fair, and not controlled by foreign hands.
The Iraqi Special Tribunal has millions of documents to sort, and hundreds of witnesses it will try to persuade to testify. Done right, these pre-trial preparations might drag on for years, a delay which could anger most Iraqis. And critics are already wondering if an Iraqi judiciary, crippled from years of repression and corruption, is even up to the task of trying such a complex case.
Guests:
Greg Keyhoe, Regime Crimes Liaison Office in Baghdad;
Hanny Megally, director of the Middle East program at the International Center for Transitional Justice;
Neil Kuritz, Rule of Law Program, the United States Institute of Peace