IRAQ. DEFENCE SAYS SADDAM VERDICT A MOCKERY OF JUSTICE

Saddam Hussein's defence team said his conviction for crimes against humanity and the death sentence passed on him were illegal and political. “This is a mockery of justice and a judgement that comes from a sham and illegal court created by the US occupation that cannot ever provide a fair trial," lawyer Bushra al-Khalil said. Another defence lawyer who attended the proceedings said the verdict was a foregone conclusion by a court that had condemned Saddam even before sentencing him.
"The verdict was prepared in advance and is to market the US elections for Bush ... it's the first court in which the verdict is read without the reasons for the conviction," Wadoud Fawzi Shams Eddin said.
"In any case, this court is illegal ... what can you expect from an illegal creature of the occupation that not only created it but controlled it and announced the convictions and death sentences."