American among 20 lawyers to defend Saddam

AMMAN: Twenty lawyers including several Arabs and an American have been chosen by the family of Saddam Hussein to represent the jailed former Iraqi dictator, Jordanian lawyer Mohammad Al-Rachdane said Sunday.

Rachdane, who is included on the defence team, said the lawyers had been appointed by Saddam’s wife, Sajida, and his three daughters. They include eight Jordanians, four Egyptians, two Tunisians, an American, a Swiss and a Frenchman. It does not include the name of Frenchman Jacques Verges, who has previously claimed to be Saddam’s lawyer.

The American is Curtis Doebbler, a former professor of human rights law at the American University in Cairo and an adviser to the Palestinian Authority. According to a power of attorney letter shown to AFP, Saddam’s wife authorises the team to “pursue all subjects and cases” concerning his arrest, detention, his status and rights as a prisoner of war and any other “threats that he might be exposed to”. —AFP

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