Saddam’s Trial Roundup · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Saddam's trial was a breaking news of the day, here is quick roundup. Some for the trial, others against. Some emotionally, others legally.
Akba of IRAQ RISING says:
I don't care what happens to this man. In fact I wish he were dead already. I think the majority of Iraqis would say the same.
Nur-al-Cubicle says that:
Egyptian-American International Law professor Sharif Bassiouni, one of the architects of the International Criminal Court at the Hague, says that confidentiality is necessary to dissimulate the stamp of the US on the trial proceedings.
Initially invited to Washington to participate in the design of the Iraqi Special Tribunal, 60 year-old Bassiouni, who prizes his international reputation, withdrew from this absolutely incomprehensible mish-mash, according to a story by Jean-Pierre Krief and published by Arte on September 27th.
Aunt Najma of A Star From Mosul blog says:
They're in a 10-minute reset right now. It got a little bit messy in the court when Saddam refused to say his name.
UPDATE: The trial was as meaningless as this post!!
Keefieboy of Adventures in Dubai blog says:
At last, they've started going through the motions of making this murderer pay for what he has done. The judge let him get away with far too much to begin with. And Saddam's buddies complaining about being deprived of their headgear. Of course, Saddam claimed that the whole process was illegal. As if legality had ever bothered him in the past.
At Back to Iraq blog, minute by minute entries represent the trial happening:
3:09:05 PM Major technical issues with sound in the courtroom, hampering translation. But the judges seem prepared to rule on whether to grant a delay or not. All signs point to a delay.
3:18:16 PM Trial has been delayed until Nov. 28, answering the defense team’s plea.
Mental Mayhem says:
There is fierce opposition to Saddam's trial in Jordan. Some Jordanian papers are even claiming that the person being detained is not the real Saddam but one of his doubles and that he is being put on trial simply to “increase the popularity of the American president.
Nancy of Beth-Nahrain says:
finally the people of Dujail, as well as the rest of the Iraqi people, can watch this monster get what he deserves for all of the crimes that he has committed over the 23 years that he was in power (or maybe a little less of what he deserves since what he deserves would be to cut him into little pieces while he begs for mercy, but we cannot do that because that would make us like him). Finally, we can see justice (or the beginning of it) take place in Iraq…
Last but not least, if you are looking for some expert legal opinion, here is one from Case School of Law:
As arguably the most important war crimes proceeding since Nuremberg, the trial of Saddam Hussein is likely to constitute a “Grotian Moment” — defined as a legal development that is so significant that it can create new customary international law or radically transform the interpretation of treaty-based law. This Website features key documents related to the Iraqi Special Tribunal, answers to frequently asked questions, and expert debate and public commentary on the major issues and developments related to the trials of Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi leaders.