GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

Malcom Lagauche, May 22-24. 2008

A few days ago, George Bush lectured the Arab world on its ways and said it must change. The speech was feeble and hypocritical. Almost everything Bush used as bad examples can also be attributed to his own country, especially since he has been the monarch. For Bush to criticize the Arab world for their justice systems would be like Jeffrey Dahmer advocating vegetarianism. There are definitely injustices in some Arab cultures, but Bush should be the last person to give advice. In 2006, we saw the worst travesty of justice of our time during the trial of Saddam Hussein and members of the Ba’ath government. Virtually every international legal institution condemned the farce that was called a trial. Even the United Nations issued a report blasting almost every aspect of the proceedings. A lackey judge sentenced Saddam to hang. Shortly after, he fled Iraq and ended up in Great Britain, claiming financial asylum. Now we are confronted with another chapter of the outrageous trials of Ba’ath Party members. Tariq Aziz, after rotting in prison for five years, will be tried for the crime of being involved with the execution of 42 Iraqis during the embargo that strangled the country. The accused tampered with food prices while food was in short supply. Because of their actions, many Iraqis suffered. This column is not about the execution of some black-marketeers. It concerns the total lack of any legal integrity for Aziz’ upcoming trial. First of all, Aziz had nothing to do with the execution of the 42 Iraqis. He was in foreign service and was out of the country when they were condemned. But, the court doesn’t seem interested in the truth. The judge will be the same one who sentenced Saddam. Miraculously, he has re-appeared in Iraq. Maybe some investigative journalist will take the time to see who his paymasters are for this trial. I will give a hint: start looking in Washington, D.C. Tariq Aziz made an appearance in court on May 20, 2008. However, he had no legal representation. His Iraqi lawyer was refused protection by the U.S. Then, he hired lawyers from France, Italy and Lebanon. Lo and behold. None was able to acquire a visa to enter Iraq. The nation that brags about its justice system and chastises other countries for deficiencies in their own systems, has made it impossible for Tariq Aziz, an old and sickly man, to even have a lawyer in the courtroom. One can only imagine how the trial will be conducted.

Continued . . .