Oct. 5
IRAQ:
Talabani Might Not 'Prohibit' Hussein Death Penalty
RFI:You may have been recently asked most often about Saddam Hussein's
trial. You have previously declared that Saddam, for what he has done,
deserves to be executed 20 times a day. Will Saddam Hussein indeed be
tried on 19 November as announced before? Has there been any international
pressure -- from the United States, the European Union, or elsewhere --
that Saddam not be tried or that his trial be postponed, especially when
some have disputed the fairness of the trial? Will international observers
be allowed at the court sessions?
Talabani: I have no information on a specific date set for the trial. The
only thing I know is that an inquiry judge frequently goes to the prison
to conduct the investigation with Saddam Hussein. Once, when the judge
visited me, he informed me that Saddam Hussein has accepted his
responsibility for a number of crimes committed against Iraqis.
Concerning the question of pressure, I can confirm there have been no
pressures. No one, be it the European Union or the United States, has
demanded that Saddam Hussein not be tried or that his trial be postponed
or cancelled. These are only rumors, not based on truth.
RFI: Will you sign a death sentence if it is issued over Saddam Hussein?
Talabani: No. I am a man who feels obliged by his signature and his
morals. I am one of the lawyers who has signed an international document
against the death penalty throughout the world. I also have an agreement
with the International [Committee of the] Red Cross on not applying the
death penalty. That is why I cannot break my moral obligations after I
became the president of the Republic of Iraq. This does not mean, however,
that I will prohibit the death sentence from being carried out. It is
possible that I will be absent [from the office] on a particular day and
the remaining colleagues in the Presidency Council [referring to Vice
Presidents Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar and Adil Abd al-Mahdi] will be able to
decide. The decision [on the death penalty] is not in the hands of the
president of the republic. It is in the hands of the Presidency Council,
of its three members. But it happens sometimes that one of them is absent.
(source: Radio Free Europe)
DAGHESTAN:
Daghestan Minister Calls For Death Penalty For Terrorists
Daghestan's interior minister has called for tougher punishment for
alleged terrorists.
In an interview with Russia's "Izvestia" daily published today, Adilgerei
Magomedtagirov said that "terrorists" who have caused other people's
deaths should themselves be sentenced to "the ultimate penalty."
He blamed militants from neighboring Chechnya for tensions in Daghestan.
He denied opposition claims that militants have support among high-level
officials but acknowledged such support was possible on the level of
"rural or district administrations."
The minister also said criminal gangs in Daghestan are linked with
international extremist organizations.
Daghestan has recently been hit by frequent bombings and shootings . Most
of the attacks target police and law enforcement officials and are linked
to militant groups or criminal gangs.
(source: Radio Free Europe)
