June 20
IRAQ:
Saddam Hussein may face death penalty
Saddam Hussein could face the death penalty, according to the head of
Iraq's war crimes tribunal.
The US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer has suspended the penalty but it
could be brought back by the Iraqi government after the transfer of
sovereignty at the end of the month.
The director of Iraq's war crimes tribunal, Salem Chalabi said: "The
suspension will continue until the sovereign Iraqi government makes a
decision to lift the suspension.
"The Iraqi government has to affirmatively take that step to lift the
suspension.
"If the suspension imposed by ambassador Bremer is lifted then there is
the possibility of the death penalty being imposed."
Mr Chalabi said talks are under way with coalition forces over the handing
over of Iraqi prisoners.
He said they would be transferred "relatively soon" after the June 30
handover of power.
But it will be "some time" before the trials start. The first step is to
issue arrest warrants before investigations start properly. Charges will
be filed over the next few months.
He also said "hundreds if not thousands" of witnesses are coming forward
with information and a witness protection scheme would be set up.
Mr Chalabi sought to allay concerns over the security of prisoners. He
said it is his "absolute priority".
He also insisted that Iraqi judges are up to the task of trying prisoners.
The judicial system was set up by the British in the 1920s and is "a
pretty decent system" but had been "played around with" by the previous
regime.
Mr Chalabi said work is now under way to re-establish the independence of
the judiciary and train judges.
(source: ITV News)
CHINA:
Death penalty for baby smuggler----Many Chinese families are allowed only
1 child
The leader of a gang involved in buying and selling 120 baby girls has
been sentenced to death by a court in China.
2 other members of the group were given life imprisonment for their part
in the trafficking of babies in the impoverished central province of
Henan.
There was no word on the fate of the girls, sold between 1998 and 2003.
The Chinese authorities believe thousands of women and children are
trafficked every year and they are trying to curb the problem.
They say many are forced into marriage or sexual slavery, or are used as
servants.
Profits
The court in Puyang city found all 15 members of the gang guilty, reported
Xinhua state news agency.
All were accused of profiting from the trade.
Leader Li Guoju - whom the court said had been personally involved in the
abduction and sale of 76 baby girls - was given the death penalty.
Two other members, named as Yu Xiumin and Zhang Xinfa, were sentenced to
life in prison and fined 20,000 yuan ($2,400) each.
The court said Yu had been involved in the abduction and sale of 34 girls
and Zhang of 28 girls.
The remaining 12 gang members received jail terms of between one and 15
years, Xinhua reported.
Li and most of the other gang members plan to appeal, it said.
Booming trade
Little is known about the scale of the trafficking of women and girls in
China, but it appears to be thriving.
In March, police announced 42,215 women and children had been located and
freed from their captors during the previous 3 years, AFP news agency
reported.
However, there is no indication of the total number of people reported
missing overall.
The problem is exacerbated by China's strict birth control policies, which
limit many couples to only 1 child.
A social preference for boys has meant a shortage of brides for sons.
Families may also buy trafficked women and children to use as servants.
Others are sold into sexual slavery.
(source: BBC News)
