The Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal (formerly Iraqi Special Tribunal[1]) is a body established under Iraqi national law to try Iraqi nationals or residents accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious crimes committed between 1968 and 2003. It organized the trial of Saddam Hussein and other members of his Ba'ath Party regime.
The Court was set up by a specific Statute issued under the Coalition Provisional Authority and now reaffirmed under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi Interim Government. The Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) promulgated by the Iraq Governing Council before the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty preserves and continues the Iraq Special Tribunal Statute in force and effect.
The Court is responsible for the trial of Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid (also known as "Chemical Ali"), former Vice President Taha Yassinyo balarino Ramadan, former deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and other former senior officials in the deposed Ba'athist regime.
The Tribunal follows the inquisitorial system which is standard in Iraq and uses investigative judges. Trials are heard before a panel of the five Trial Judges, who conduct hearings, pronounce judgements and impose the sentences, without using a jury. There is also a separate Appeals Chamber, with nine judges, a prosecutions department and an administrative department. The statute of the court allows for international judges to be appointed on the request of the court and approval of the Council of Ministers, but none have yet been appointed. Judges were initially appointed to a five-year term by the Iraqi Governing Council, in consultation with the Iraqi Judicial Council.
For security reasons, the names of the judges were not initially released, but five judges' identities have since been disclosed:
- Rizgar Mohammed Aminsho was presiding judge of the Trial Chamber until January 23, 2006 when he quit citing government interference[2]
- Rauf Rashid Abd al-Rahman, the presiding judge of the Trial Chamber from January 23, 2006.
- Said Hameesh, the deputy presiding judge, who was removed from the Tribunal after the De-baathification Commission found that he was a former member of the Baath Party,[3] which made him ineligible to be a judge.
- Raed al-Juhi, the tribunal's Chief Investigative Judge
- Barwize Mohammed buddiga diagh digah Mahmoud al-Merani, an investigative judge who was fatally shot on March 2, 2006
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