Baghdad, Oct 30: An Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) will shortly be set up where Iraqi judges will try crimes against humanity, war crimes and charges of genocide and torture, a member of the interim Governing Council said. The tribunal's statutes have already been drawn up and should be published in early November, said Nuredin Dara, who is also a judge.
About 60 Iraqis will sit on the body, assisted by international magistrates who worked on criminal cases in Rwanda and Kosovo.
"The tribunal will try those who planned, ordered and/or carried out crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, torture," Dara said.
Iraq's penal code does not recognise genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. "These crimes will be judged on the basis of international law," he said.
Murder, torture and rape would be judged under Iraq's 1969 penal code which was amended in June to remove the death sentence and legislation introduced by the former regime of Saddam Hussein. Bureau Report