Disorder in the court

The week's news at a glance.

Baghdad

The new chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein tried a get-tough approach this week, but it backfired spectacularly. Judge Raouf Abdel Rahman opened court with the announcement that anyone who disrupted proceedings would be ejected. Just 30 minutes later, half the defendants and all of their lawyers were gone. Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, Saddam’s half-brother and the former head of intelligence, made the first scene, calling the court the “daughter of a whore” and refusing to sit down. Al-Tikriti was evicted, the defense team walked out in protest, and Saddam began shouting until the judge ordered him to be taken out of the courtroom, too. The defense lawyers said they won’t return until the judge apologizes “for his aggressive and unlawful behavior.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us