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

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.