JURIST - Paper Chase: Saddam judge investigating Halabja poison gas attack

[JURIST] An Iraqi judge investigating charges against Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] met with Kurdish officials Monday to gather information about the 1988 poison gas attack [Wikipedia backgrounder] against the northern Iraq village of Halabja. The investigating judge from the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website] visited Halabja in order to "inspect and collect information regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction against the city," according to a statement released the regional Kurdistan cabinet. In July, the tribunal filed its first criminal charge [JURIST report] against Hussein in connection with the 1982 killing of some 150 Shiites in the village of Dujail in retribution for an assassination attempt. The Dujail charge is seen as a relatively minor case amongst the allegations against Hussein, but prosecutors have indicated that they expect a fairly easy conviction on that charge. Experts predict that allegations of genocide in Halabja will be much more difficult to prove because the prosecution will have to establish a chain of command that links back to Hussein. Reuters has more.

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