June 29
MEXICO:
Official calls for death penalty study
Mexico's attorney general called Monday for Congress to study
reinstituting the death penalty in Mexico, one day after hundreds of
thousands of Mexicans filled the streets of Mexico City to protest a
rising tide of kidnappings, theft and corruption.
Many of those protesting Sunday carried signs calling for the death
penalty. "The mandate of society should be addressed and go to Congress,"
Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said at a graduation ceremony
for 275 agents of the Federal Agency of Investigation, Mexico's FBI. "The
death penalty should be seriously analyzed."
It seemed unlikely that Congress would move quickly to reinstitute the
death penalty, which Mexico abolished decades ago. But the fact that
Macedo de la Concha raised the issue a day after the demonstration
indicated how much the march has roiled Mexico's political waters. Fallout
from the march dominated radio and TV broadcasts Monday.
(source: Knight Ridder)
IRAQ:
Saddam to be transferred in a 'few days'
Saddam Hussein will appear before an Iraqi judge in the "next few days" to
face charges related to his 23 years in power, Iraqi and coalition
officials said Monday.
A military spokesman said he will remain in a U.S.-run jail for now
because Iraqi government does not have a suitable prison.
The remarks came only hours after the U.S.-led coalition handed power to
an Iraqi interim government in a nearly secret ceremony in Baghdad. No
further specifics on the timing were available.
"Over the next few days, the Iraqi authorities will be taking custody of
12 senior members of the previous regime, including Saddam Hussein," said
Salem Chalabi, an Iraqi official in charge of setting up a tribunal.
The ousted Iraqi leader, however, will remain in the hands of U.S. troops,
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told Associated Press Radio on Monday.
"Prime Minister (Iyad) Allawi has said there are no facilities that he has
available to hold Saddam in the amount of security that would be required,
so he has asked the multinational forces to retain physical custody while
legal custody is transferred over to the people of Iraq," he said.
But the Jordanian lawyer claiming to represent Saddam said the ousted
leader should be released because handing him over to Iraq's new
government would violate international law.
Ziad al-Khasawneh, one of 20 Jordanian and foreign lawyers appointed by
Saddam's wife, Sajidah, said the United States has no legal basis to keep
prisoners, including Saddam, now that it has transferred authority to an
interim Iraqi government.
"International law dictates that in such a situation, the occupation
authority must release all prisoners of war including Mr. President Saddam
and let them choose to leave to any country they wish to go to and under
the protection of the occupying power and the United Nations,"
al-Khasawneh told The Associated Press.
"The United States would violate international law if it handed the
president (Saddam) or other prisoners of war over to the interim Iraqi
government."
Saddam was granted prisoner of war status after his capture. Although he
is alleged to have committed crimes against his own people, he has not
been charged with any offense.
The Iraqi Special Tribunal, established 6 months ago, is expected to try
Saddam for atrocities committed during his 23 years as president,
including the deaths of some 300,000 people.
Al-Khasawneh said the defense team which has enlisted 1,500 other lawyers
from across the Arab world, Europe and the United States since Saddam's
capture in December sent letters to the International Committee of the Red
Cross, the United Nations, the U.S. Embassy in Jordan and other diplomatic
missions urging them to help free Saddam.
One letter, addressed to the Red Cross, said the coalition authority
should have released all Iraqi prisoners of war, including Saddam, when
President Bush announced the end of military operations in May 2003.
"Under the law, all Iraqi prisoners should have been freed, especially
since none of them was charged," said the letter made available to the AP.
Al-Khasawneh said a similar letter also was sent to Qatar's emir, Sheik
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, because of news reports suggesting the Iraqi
president may have been held in Qatar.
(source: Associated Press)
