Iraqi Special Tribunal denies exact schedule or charges set for Saddam trial News
Iraqi Special Tribunal denies exact schedule or charges set for Saddam trial

[JURIST] The Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) [official website, English version; JURIST news archive] has denied recent reports [press statement] that the trial of Saddam Hussein is imminent, perhaps getting underway in the next two months [JURIST report] with the first of 12 specific cases against him [JURIST report]. The Tribunal stressed its independence from any political timetable possibly relating to the country's constitution-drafting process, stating "Any appointment to start the trials belongs to the decision of the judges who will take a look at the claims against the accused after finishing the investigation procedures." It is expected that the former Iraqi president captured in December 2003 will be tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide relating to gassing Kurds in Halabja in 1988 [BBC backgrounder], suppression of Shi'ite and Kurd uprisings [BBC backgrounder] and the prosecution of the 1990-91 war against Kuwait. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

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.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

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.