|
Lion of Babylon -> Come on...lets have some real justice for a change!! (11/7/2007 11:38:46 PM)
|
These two government sanctioned assassins deserve nothing less than what will be handed to chemical Ali or Izzet Al Duri (if they ever find the slimeball). Justice needs to be handed a lifeline and the two criminals in question should have been tried long ago but had the protection of the Sadrist Militias who run the Health Ministry. Great news if it actually happens.
quote:
Health Ministry officials may face possible execution over sectarian murders
An Iraqi judge has ruled that there is enough evidence to try two former Shiite officials in the Health Ministry in the killing and kidnapping of hundreds of Sunnis, many of them snatched from hospitals by militias, according to U.S. officials who are advising the Iraqi judicial system.
The case, which was referred to a three-member tribunal in Baghdad last week, is the first time that an Iraqi magistrate has recommended that such high-ranking Shiites be tried for sectarian violence. But a trial could still be derailed by the Health Ministry, making the case an important test of the government's will to administer justice on a nonsectarian basis. The investigation has confirmed longstanding Sunni fears that hospitals were opened up as a hunting ground for Shiite militias intent on spreading fear among Sunnis and driving them out of the capital.
Even before the case, Baghdad residents told of death threats against doctors who would treat Sunnis, of intravenous lines ripped from patients' arms as they were carried away, and of relatives of hospitalized Sunnis who were killed when they came to visit. The case centers on Hakim al-Zamili, a former deputy health minister, and Brigadier General Hamid al-Shammari, who led the agency's security force, which is charged with protecting the ministry and its hospitals. The two were taken into custody in February and March, but the status of the judicial inquiry into their activities and its findings had not previously been reported.
The inquiry included testimony from nine witnesses, some of whom have been granted visas to live in the United States for their protection. If the trial goes ahead, it will be held in a new Rule of Law complex in the Rusafa section of the capital. The installation was built by the U.S. military this year, and the government has allocated $49 million to operate the facility. Judges live at the heavily fortified compound to protect them from assassination and renegade militias. The proceedings, which could happen in the next few weeks, would be videotaped and open to the public, in accordance with Iraqi law.
One question is whether the Iraqi government will move forward with the trial, which would shine a light on some of the most serious sectarian abuses committed under government cover. The Health Ministry could try to block the case by invoking a section of the law that precludes prosecution of officials who are carrying out their official duties. The Interior Ministry has used this tactic to preclude investigation of a senior National Police officer accused of sectarian crimes. The Iraqi judges slated to try the case have informed the Health Ministry that they want to proceed and have asked for the agency's approval. The Health Ministry has yet to respond.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/05/africa/iraq.php
|
|
|
|