Judge: Saddam was 'not a dictator'

The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's trial has said the former Iraqi leader was not a dictator, but had only been made to seem like one by his aides.The controversial comments come a day after Judge Abdullah al-Amiri was accused of bias towards the defence.



During the court session, a Kurdish man recalled a 1989 audience with Saddam Hussein, which he had hoped would secure freedom for his jailed family.

The exchange between the judge and Saddam Hussein came after the testimony of Abdullah Mohammed Hussain. Saddam Hussein asked the 57-year-old witness: "Why did you try to meet me when you knew I was a dictator?"

"You were not a dictator. People around you made you [look like] a dictator," the judge said.

"Thank you," Saddam Hussein replied.

Source

I have a feeling that comment will not go down well with the West. Saddam was certainly a dictator as far as I am concerned. A dictator who was empowered and propped up by the West. But still a dictator.

Expect to see yet another Judge being removed/resigning from the trial shortly.