Baghdad, Dec 15: Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, captured by US forces, will be the first to be tried before a new Iraqi court set up last week to prosecute crimes against humanity by his deposed regime, a leading judge said. Dara Nuredin, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and the chairman of its legal committee, said, "If the case against him is completed with all the necessary proofs, he will be the first to appear before this court."
He denied unconfirmed reports that Saddam had been taken out of Iraq, saying, "He is on Iraqi soil under a tight guard." However, he did not elaborate.
Nuredin said the court would sit in Iraq, which Iraqi judges named by the Governing Council.
The court can also call on foreign or United Nations experts. Bureau Report