BREAKING NEWS ~ First charge filed against Saddam Hussein News
BREAKING NEWS ~ First charge filed against Saddam Hussein

[JURIST] The Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website; JURIST news archive] announced Sunday that it has filed its first formal criminal charge against former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] in connection with the 1982 killing of some 150 Shiites in the village of Dujail [NPR report] in retribution for an assassination attempt. Press reports anticipated last month [JURIST report] that the Dujail case would be the first one brought. Raed Juhi, the tribunal's top investigating judge, said that other charges would be filed as investigations of other cases are concluded, and that a trial date for Hussein would be set in the next few days. Under Iraqi law, a trial can begin no sooner than 45 days after a charge is filed, although the Tribunal did not say exactly when this charge was laid. Three other former Iraqi officials will stand trial with Hussein. The accused could face the death penalty if convicted. BBC News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

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On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.