Iraq opens trial against Aziz, others over merchant slayings

This is a May 24, 2006 file photo of, former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, as he testifies for the defence during former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's trial held in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone,in Baghdad, Iraq. The fourth trial of top figures from Saddam Hussein's regime will begin next week when former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and six others must answer charges in the execution of dozens of merchants in 1992, an Iraqi judicial official said Wednesday April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Marco Di Lauro, Pool)

BAGHDAD—An Iraqi court on Tuesday opened the trial of Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's best-known lieutenants, and seven other defendants facing charges in the 1992 execution of dozens of merchants.

But the court quickly adjourned because a co-defendant, Saddam's cousin known as "Chemical Ali," was too ill to attend. The trial was scheduled to resume May 20.

Aziz, the international face of Saddam's regime for more than a decade as foreign minister and other posts, entered the court room leaning on a walking stick.

Aziz, 72, and the other defendants present, including Saddam's half brother Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, were placed in a wooden pen and stood as the judge read their names and discussed legal issues.

No formal charges were read. Aziz and the others are facing charges stemming from the 1992 executions of 42 merchants accused by Saddam's government of being behind a sharp increase in food prices when the country was under strict U.N. sanctions.

If convicted, the defendants could face a sentence of death by hanging.

Ali Hassan al-Majid, who gained the nickname Chemical Ali for ordering chemical attacks on Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s, is already under a death sentence.

The presiding judge, Raouf Abdul-Rahman, said doctors had signed a medical report saying al-Majid was in critical condition and needed some three weeks to recover. Under Iraqi law, all defendants are supposed to attend the first session of a trial.

The U.S. military said Monday that al-Majid is under medical care at an American detention facility after suffering a heart attack during a hunger strike earlier this month.

Aziz's Italian lawyer, Giovanni Di Stefano, said his client has denied the accusations.

Di Stefano was one of several non-Arab attorneys who took part in the legal defense of Saddam, who was hanged on the last day of 2006.

Di Stefano said in a statement posted on his Web site that Aziz's lawyers have not received any notification of court hearings.

Human Rights Watch urged Iraq to hold a fair trial, saying the Iraqi High Tribunal in the past has "squandered" the opportunity to build a system of impartial justice.

"To achieve justice for the immense crimes committed by Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the Iraqi High Tribunal has an obligation to act fairly, independently and credibly," said Sara Darehshori, senior counsel in Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program.

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Associated Press writer Selcan Hacaoglu contributed to this report.