Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Wed., Dec. 15, 2004
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 12-15-04
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Justice in Baghdad? A Debate Between Saddam's UK Lawyer and
a US Attorney Who Helped Create Legal System in Occupied Iraq
Rep. John Conyers Seeks Inquiry Into Ohio Vote
Privatizing Social Security: A Debate on Bush's Social Security
Plan
Justice in Baghdad? A Debate Between Saddam's UK
Lawyer and a US Attorney Who Helped Create Legal System in
Occupied Iraq
We host a debate between Abdul Haq Al-Ani, a London-based
attorney who is one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers and Michael
Scharf, one of five international law experts who helped train
Iraqi judges after major combat ended in the country.
Almost a year to the day after Saddam Hussein's arrest, Iraq's
unelected, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi made a surprise
announcement that his government will begin trial proceedings
against some of Saddam's top lieutenants. The announcement
came during Allawi's address to the interim national assembly
on Tuesday.
Allawi said, "I will tell you clearly and specifically
that next week, God willing, the trials of the symbols of
the former regime will begin."
In his address, Allawi went on to say that the trials had
been delayed by what he called preparation difficulties and
complex legal procedures. But he said "We have finished
the procedures and nominated (judges) and I can say, with
certainty that the trials will begin next week and continue."
The announcement reportedly took US officials and even Iraq's
Justice Ministry by surprise. Iraqi Justice officials were
quoted by news agencies as saying they had heard nothing about
any start to the prosecution process next week. A US official
also said the news caught him by surprise and another Iraqi
official said it was an election stunt by Allawi, who announced
his candidacy today in Iraq's planned elections set for January
30.
The former Iraqi officials are set to be tried by a special
Iraqi tribunal for cases of genocide, crimes against humanity
and war crimes. Some of the men and women who ruled Iraq for
decades could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Iraq's Defense Minister announced today that Ali Hassan al-Majid,
one of Saddam Hussein's top military figures, will be the
first leader of the former regime to be tried for war crimes.
Majid is accused of some of the worst crimes committed during
Saddam's decades in power, including the gassing of up to
5,000 Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988.
To discuss these trials and the case of Saddam Hussein, we
are joined by two people on different sides of this story.
- Abdul Haq Al-Ani, London-based lawyer. He is one of Saddam
Hussein's lawyers and is also one of the lawyers representing
former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Last year,
he himself was arrested in London on charges he had violated
the sanctions on Iraq.
- Michael Scharf, Director of the Frederick
K. Cox International law Center at Case Western Reserve
University in Ohio. He worked in the State Department during
the administrations of George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.
More recently, he was one of five international law experts
who helped train Iraqi judges after major combat ended in
the country.
Rep. John Conyers Seeks Inquiry Into Ohio Vote
We speak with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who is leading the
charge to review voting irregularities in Ohio. Conyers is
now planning to ask the FBI and an Ohio county prosecutor
to explore election tampering in at least one and possibly
several Ohio counties.
Just two days after the Ohio delegation to the Electoral
College cast its votes for President Bush, Michigan Congressmember
John Conyers is planning to ask the FBI and an Ohio county
prosecutor to explore election tampering in at least one and
possibly several Ohio counties. This according to the New
York Times.
The request for an investigation is based largely on a sworn
affidavit provided by deputy director of elections in Hocking
County, Sherole Eaton.
Eaton claims that a representative of Triad Governmental
Systems, the firm that created and maintains the vote-counting
software in dozens of Ohio counties, made several adjustments
to the Hocking County tabulator last Friday, in advance of
the state's recount.
Third party candidates, David Cobb of the Green Party and
Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party successfully sought
recounts in each of Ohio's 88 counties that will begin this
week.
- Rep. John Conyers
(D-MI), held a hearing in Washington last week looking into
voting irregularities in Ohio.
Privatizing Social Security: A Debate on Bush's Social
Security Plan
A two-day conference on the economy hosted by President
Bush opens today in Washington, and Social Security is at
the top of the agenda. We host a debate on Bush's plan to
privatize part of Social Security with independent journalist
Eric Laursen and Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute. A two-day
conference on the economy hosted by President Bush opens today
in Washington, and Social Security is at the top of the agenda.
The White House has repeatedly said that Social Security
is facing a financial crisis to the tune of 10 trillion dollars.
Bush says he wants to shore up these finances by allowing
workers to shift some of their Social Security payroll taxes
into private accounts that could be invested in stocks or
bonds.
Critics are already voicing their opposition to Bush's plans.
Today we host a debate on Social Security.
- Eric Laursen, independent journalist who has covered
Social Security for many years and is writing a book titled
"People's Pension: The Politics of Social Security
Policymaking Since 1980."
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
