Saddam lawyer killed in Baghdad

One of Saddam Hussein’s lawyers has been killed after he was abducted from his home by men wearing police uniforms in Baghdad.

Khamis al-Obeidi, who represented Saddam and his half-brother Barzan Ibrahim, was abducted from his house at 7am, Saddam’s top lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi said on Wednesday.

Jaafar al-Moussawi, the chief prosecutor, said that al-Obeidi had been killed. He did not provide more details.

Al-Obeidi is the third defence team lawyer to be killed since the trial against Saddam and seven co-accused on charges of crimes against humanity began in October.

US blamed

Bushra al-Khalil, one of the defence lawyers, blames the US for the killing, citing an easing of security procedures.

“I felt a change in procedures,” she told Aljazeera.

Al-Khalil said that previously “we were taken by helicopters from Baghdad airport into the Green Zone and [we would] live in the US military area”.

“However, the last time, I found that they are taking us overland and letting us mix with people at the airport.

“This was not happening in the past. For sure the Americans, for sure the Americans were responsible. I expected the assassination because they wanted to obstruct our defence.”

Condemnation

The killing came two days after the chief prosecutor demanded the death penalty for Saddam and three of his former top aides for their roles in a crackdown on Shia villagers after a 1982 attempt on the ousted leader’s life.

Unlike al-Dulaimi, who shuttles between Amman, Jordan, and the Iraqi capital, al-Obeidi chose to continue to live in Baghdad despite the tenuous security.

Al-Dulaimi blamed the interior ministry, which Sunnis have alleged is infiltrated by so-called Shia death squads.

“We strongly condemn this act and we condemn the killings done by the interior ministry forces against Iraqis,” he said, adding that US-led forces also bore responsibility because the war had allowed Shia militias to gain influence.

Aljazeera + Agencies