Saddam Trial - It could get interesting...

Yesterday's Session 25 of the trial of Saddam Husayn and seven co-defendants was rather uneventful. The defense witnesses, if they could be called that, presented very little in the way of convincing exculpatory evidence. As I wrote earlier (Saddam Trial - The Next Phase (May 15)) , the burden of proof has shifted to the defense. Unlike the American system of justice, the defendants in the Iraqi system have to rebut the prosecution and virtually prove their innocence.

Session 26 (May 17) began as a another day of the same, but got ended on an interesting note. In response to a defense request, the judge has decided to allow Saddam Husayn and his seven fellow defendants to testify as defense witnesses for each other. Although it is not clear when Saddam may take the stand, it could be as early as the next session, scheduled for May 22.

Saddam on the witness stand. He has proven to be quite disruptive from the dock, so it will be interesting to see how he handles himself on the stand under oath. At last, hearing testimony from Saddam Husayn. Who would have thought?