[JURIST] An official with the Iraqi tribunal trying Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity confirmed Saturday that chief judge Rizgar Amin [Wikipedia profile] has in fact submitted his resignation. The resignation was originally reported [JURIST report] late Friday but was subsequently disputed by two of Amin's colleagues [JURIST report]. The court official said that attempts were underway to get Amin to reconsider his decision, allegedly prompted by criticism of his handling of the trial. Amin would be the second member of the five-panel tribunal to step down, after one other judge recused himself in November because of a conflict of interest. Under tribunal rules, Amin's resignation as chief judge must be approved by both the Iraqi prime minister's counsel and Iraq's president and vice-presidents. If Amin's resignation were accepted he would be replaced. Hussein's trial for the murder of more than 140 Shiites in Dujail is scheduled to resume on January 24th [JURIST report]. AP has more.

[JURIST] DaimlerChrysler [corporate website] has suspended nine managers allegedly involved in the UN oil-for food scandal [JURIST news archive] after a UN inquiry suspected them of paying bribes to secure business delivery trucks to the government of former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive]. German prosecutors conducted their own investigation of DaimlerChrysler when the UN inquiry mentioned the sale of a vehicle to Iraq. The independent inquiry into the oil-for-food program released its final report [JURIST report] in October, identifying kickbacks and other illicit payments totaling $1.8 billion with approximately 4,500 companies involved worldwide. AAP has more.

[JURIST] Thousands of women marched in Milan Saturday, demanding that Italy keep a 1978 law that legalized abortion [UN backgrounder, DOC] during the first three months of pregnancy. Police estimated that 50,000 people joined in the march to keep abortion legal, a topic that has not seen so much political action in Italy since a 1981 referendum supporting the 1978 law. Meanwhile, thousands rallied in Rome in support of legal recognition for unmarried couples, including same-sex couples. In July, Catholic Cardinal Camillo Ruini said that the church did not want to overturn the current law, although Regional Affairs Minister Enrico La Loggia said the country's conservative government could try to change it [JURIST report]. Both abortion and gay marriage have become important topics in Italy’s parliamentary election campaign, which will pit Romano Prodi [BBC profile], prime minister from 1996-1998, against conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [BBC backgrounder] on April 9th. Berlusconi denounced the rallies; politicians in the center-left opposition are divided over rights for homosexual couples. AP has more.

[JURIST] President George W. Bush praised US Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito [official profile; JURIST news archive] as a “man of character and intelligence” during his Saturday radio address [text], saying the United States would be fortunate to have him on the bench. Focusing on Alito’s qualifications, Bush stressed his nominee's integrity and reiterated that he would not use his personal preferences when interpreting the Constitution. He urged the Senate to confirm Alito promptly after Democrats late this week asked Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter to delay the panel’s vote [JURIST report]. The Judiciary Committee is expected to meet on January 17. Bloomberg has more.

[JURIST] The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) [official website] will wait for international monitors to finish their investigation of fraud complaints before it releases the results of the December 15 Iraqi parliamentary election [JURIST news archive]. The International Mission for Iraqi Elections [official website] which began its investigation [JURIST report] in the beginning of January is not expected to have a final report ready until after January 22. Of the 1,500 complaints filed, about 50 are considered serious enough to affect the results at some of the 30,000 polling stations across Iraq. A senior official in Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Dawa party noted that the delays will result in a more accurate election. AP has more.

[JURIST] Swiss Senator Dick Marty [BBC profile], who has been investigating allegations [JURIST report] of illegal renditions [JURIST news archive] and secret detention centers in Europe sponsored by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [official website], said Friday that he was personally convinced that European secret service agencies have been complicit in the alleged CIA activities, but he lacks definite proof. Marty has been investigating on behalf of the 46-member Council of Europe [official website] and is scheduled to present a preliminary report to its parliamentary assembly January 23, though his investigation will probably last for another 12 months. The US has neither explicitly confirmed nor denied the allegations. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] The Tashkent City Court in Uzbekistan [government website, JURIST news archive] has ordered Washington DC-based pro-democracy group Freedom House [advocacy website] to suspend its activities [FH press release] there for the next six months. The government alleges that the group, funded by US government and private sources, has provided public Internet access without a license and committed other violations of Uzbek laws, including administrative irregularities. The suspension is seen as another example of repression by the Uzbek government since its crackdown during the Andijan uprising [JURIST news archive] last May. International rights groups, including experts in the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website], have expressed concern [JURIST report] over the fairness of the resulting Andijan trials and the government's refusal to submit to an independent investigation of the event. Saturday's New York Times has more [free registration required].

[JURIST] Two judges sitting with Iraqi High Criminal Court judge Rizgar Amin [Wikipedia profile], currently presiding over the Saddam Hussein trial [JURIST news archive], Saturday dismissed as "baseless" press reports that he would resign [JURIST report] at the next sitting of the court on January 24. One judge who asked not to be named is currently working with Amin on Hussein's trial for the 1982 killings at Dujail; the other is slated to preside at the next case brought against Saddam. There has been no word from Amin himself, nor from the sources that told reporters Friday that he would step down, having found it "too difficult" to continue. Reuters, which filed the original report, ran a story Saturday sticking by its original claim [Reuters report] and quoted another source close to Amin as saying that he had already submitted his letter of resignation and was simply waiting for the court's response. AP has more.

10:41 AM ET - A more detailed Reuters story is now quoting a "source close to the judge" as saying Saturday that Amin, displeased that Iraqi Shiite leaders have criticized him for being too lenient in his handling of the trial, had indeed tendered his resignation and that court officials were trying to talk him out of it. Reuters quotes the source: "He tendered his resignation to the court a few days ago but the court rejected it. Now talks are under way to convince him to go back on his decision... He's under a lot of pressure; the whole court is under political pressure."