February 7, 2006 Law Library Launches Web Site on Saddam Hussein Trial

The Law Library of Congress today launched a site on the World Wide Web to provide visitors with essential legal information regarding the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants by the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal.

“The trial of Saddam Hussein is an important landmark in the development of international criminal law,” said Law Librarian of Congress Rubens Medina. “The confluence of international and national legal principles that may stand in conflict at times makes the trial a notable experiment in international jurisprudence.”

The site may be accessed at www.loc.gov/law/public/saddam/.

The Web site traces the development of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal beginning on Dec. 10, 2003, just prior to the capture of the former Iraqi leader on Dec. 13, 2003. This information includes a description of the legal and statutory underpinnings of the court, its structure, jurisdictions, legal processes that guide its proceedings and legal data concerning the prosecution and defense. With authentic documents in Arabic issued by the court, approved English translations and links to relevant legal documents, the site provides reliable and timely data not only to the public at large and international legal scholars generally, but also in particular to legal scholars of international criminal law.

In addition, the site offers a selection of scholarly, news media and reference materials from nongovernmental organizations to assist the visitor seeking in-depthinformation on important aspects of the trial. However, “in making this selection, the Law Library of Congress does not endorse or attest to the authenticity of any such referenced materials or information,” the site notes.

The Law Library of Congress houses the world’s largest, most comprehensive body of law and legal literature—approximately 2.5 million items in print and digital formats. It is a dynamic legal-information research and processing center and serves the needs of the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court and judicial branch, executive branch agencies and scholarly researchers with comparative research, analysis and documents on a global scale. It was founded by Congress in 1832.