Firing of Judge Sows Disorder in Baghdad Courtroom
Saddam Hussein’s lawyers stormed out of his genocide trial on Wednesday to protest a government attempt to sack the tribunal’s chief judge, a move against the theoretically independent judiciary that has pitched the troubled trial into chaos. The bedlam in the courtroom — including Hussein’s expulsion — followed a vote by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s cabinet on Tuesday to fire the chief judge, Abdullah al-Amiri, after he declared last week that Hussein was “not a dictator.” The judge’s comments infuriated many Iraqis and spurred calls for his removal. Full Story