NEW YORK - Human Rights Watch welcomed the capture of Saddam Hussein but said the Iraqi Governing Council must not mount a political show trial of the former Iraqi president.

"Saddam Hussein's capture is a welcome development and it's important that the Iraqi people feel ownership of his trial," Kenneth Roth, the executive director of the New York-based human rights watchdog, said in a statement.

"But it's equally important that the trial not be perceived as vengeful justice," Roth said. "For that reason, international jurists must be involved in the process."

Human Rights Watch said that it "has compiled substantial dossiers on the crimes of the former Iraqi leader, and published numerous reports on human rights abuse under his rule, including genocide and crimes against humanity."

The organization said some of the crimes for which Saddam might be prosecuted include:

• The genocidal Anfal campaign against the Iraqi Kurds, which resulted in the deaths of some 100,000 civilians and the destruction of more than 4,000 villages;
• The use of chemical weapons against Iranian troops and Kurdish civilians;
• The large-scale killings that followed the failed 1991 uprisings in the north and south of Iraq;
• The destruction and repression of the Marsh Arabs; and
• The forced expulsion of ethnic minorities in northern Iraq during the "Arabization" campaign.

Human Rights Watch noted that the Iraqi Governing Council agreed last week to establish a tribunal to try genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

It said the tribunal law includes provisions on the rights of the accused but key provisions are lacking to ensure legitimate and credible trials.

"Iraq has no experience with trials lasting more than a few days," said Roth. "International expertise in prosecuting genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity cases must be utilized to ensure a fair and effective trial. "Any tribunal trying Saddam Hussein should apply international standards of justice," Roth said. "To do otherwise would blur the distinction between the Ba'ath Party period and the Iraq of the future."

© 2003 AFP

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