George Soros is Now Defending Saddam

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LONDON (AFP) - Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) is preparing a legal challenge in the United States to his trial for war crimes, a newspaper reports, citing leaked papers prepared by his defense team.

Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, has prepared a 50-page brief which contains advice to take the case to US courts to ensure he receives a fair trial, the Sunday Times reported after saying it had seen the document.

The action is to ensure that Saddam receives the basic legal rights given to those tried in the United States, such as full access to his defense team and an independent judge and jury, the newspaper said.

It said the leaked brief is entitled “The Iraqi Special Tribunal as Victors’ Justice – the Inherent Illegality and Bias of the Whole Process.”

The brief argues that US law should prevail in the case because the trial is effectively being taken at the behest of the US government.
It argues Saddam will have trouble receiving a fair trial because leading members of the Iraqi and US administration have already publicly called for him to be found guilty and killed to “validate” the war, the newspaper said.

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Clive Stafford Smith is a law firm being financed by George Soros, see: soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/justice_fellows/grantees/clive_stafford_smith

Click here for a transcript of an interview with Clive Stafford Smith. The interview’s enlightening.
 
Do you have a link? Is that the entire article? If so, I assume it is your insight that Soros is involved in defending Saddam. Can’t rule it out, but I see nothing in the article, nor in the two links you provided, that suggest that is so.

Turning from your title to the substance of the article, Saddam is not entitled to the same rights as those tried in the US. He is entitled to the same rights as those tried in Iraq. Mr Smith’s brief seems silly on its face.

Furthermore, the trial is not being held at the behest of the US government - Bush would’ve been happy for him to have been tried about mid-October, or at this point a few more months wouldn’t bother us. The Iraqi regime has made the decision to begin trial proceedings at this time. As Saddam was accused of crimes against humanity, the Iraqi state, and numerous of its citizens, it was sensible for the US to expect Iraq to try him. But if it chose, the Iraqi government could dismiss all charges against him.

(Of course, that would leave the US in a sticky wicket, for while he’s in legal custody of Iraqi authorities, I believe he’s physically held by the US military. We might be obligated by international law to take our own action against him.)
 
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digitonomy:
Do you have a link? Is that the entire article? If so, I assume it is your insight that Soros is involved in defending Saddam. Can’t rule it out, but I see nothing in the article, nor in the two links you provided, that suggest that is so.
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Follow the link, he is financing the man who is defending Saddam. As they say: follow the money…😉
 
The Soros Justice Fellowships come in three different flavors. The two that seem plausible for Smith would be either one or two years in duration. Smith was awarded his grant in 2003.

His specific grant, from your link, is to
organize a coalition to promote enforcement of constitutional and human rights in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (home of a U.S. military base and prison); to produce a best-practices manual for litigating the cases before military commissions; and to write about a selection of Guantanamo prisoners.
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The Justice Fellowships in general, and this specific grant in particular, are based on influencing the justice system in the US. There is no indication that he has a responsibility as part of his grant to pursue issues in Iraqi courts, and even American military courts in Iraq would be a stretch (not that we’re trying any non-Americans in military courts there, anyway).

Coupled with this, he has since moved back to the UK with his wife (can’t link to it - search Google for Clive Stafford Smith Dorset and click on “cached”).

Together, this suggests to me that he had the one-year grant, and is no longer on the receiving end of Soros money.

My WAG is that his half-baked brief is an attempt to raise his profile, and thus stir the pot in the hopes of getting some job offers that he finds attractive.
 
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digitonomy:
The Soros Justice Fellowships come in three different flavors. The two that seem plausible for Smith would be either one or two years in duration. Smith was awarded his grant in 2003.
Click to expand...
Maybe your right… he uses the money to put food on the table, not to put fuel in his car…
 
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