19 Oct "The Mother of All Trials"
19.10.05
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Michael Scharf argues that the trial of Saddam Hussein is the “mother of all trials.” He makes this argument based on (1) the scale of atrocities; (2) the status of the accused; (3) the level of interest of the international community; (4) the legal precedent the trial will set; and (5) the effect of the trial.
Personally, I have a hard time ranking this trial above the Nuremberg trials. Having just returned from a conference in Nuremberg, Germany that focused on the legacy of those trials, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Nuremberg Trials were the genesis for the modern international human rights movement. But to avoid further bias of the poll, I will refrain from further elaboration. What do you think? Scroll down and vote.
Can Saddam’s trial really be considered an international criminal trial? Can hybrid courts really be classified as international courts – even if they hand down death sentences, which may run contrary to international law. The Iraqi court looks like a hybrid court – but it is only a court appointed by American and Iraqi war administrators and not the security council or any real legitimiate organization.
The Mother of all trials will be the one for the civilian authority and military leadership of the present administration and those who enable the depravity.