Saddam-era crimes get tribunal review

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Iraqi Governing Council is set to sign a statute this week creating an Iraqi-led tribunal to prosecute human rights abuses committed under Saddam.

Some observers have urged caution, however, raising questions about the unelected council's authority to create such a tribunal and its reticence to seek international assistance.

"Setting up a tribunal to try the former leaders of Iraq is so important, and we're certainly glad that the Iraqi Governing Council sees it as important, but it's also important that any trials that take place are fair trials and are conducted by a court that is free from political pressure," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch.

Desire to see justice served for the massive human rights abuses committed under Saddam Hussein is all but universal. The Coalition Provisional Authority has reported that as many as 300,000 Iraqis may be buried in mass graves dug around their country.