Hussein defense to continue genocide trial boycott News
Hussein defense to continue genocide trial boycott

[JURIST] Khalid al-Dulaimi [JURIST news archive], lead counsel for Saddam Hussein, said Sunday that the defense team will continue its boycott of Hussein’s genocide trial [JURIST news archive; BBC timeline] when it resumes Monday. The protest began when chief judge Abdullah al-Amiri was replaced by judge Mohammad Oreibi al-Khalifa at the insistence of the Iraqi government. Oreibi al-Khalifa has attempted to impose strict courtroom discipline and has thrown Hussein out of court [JURIST report] three times since taking over the role of chief judge. The defense team is also protesting the court’s refusal to allow the defense to examine thousands of documents linked to the genocide trial.

Saddam Hussein has been separately tried for crimes against humanity [JURIST report; BBC timeline] stemming from a crackdown in the Iraqi town of Dujail. A verdict in that case was originally expected October 16 but has since been postponed [JURIST reports]. VOA News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country's Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.