Region | Iraq
Iraqi judge to hear case of US soldiers in fatal shootings
Infuriated by the recent shooting deaths of four civilians by US soldiers, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has decided to appoint a judge to hear evidence in the cases, a close aide said on Sunday.
- Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
- Published: 23:37 June 30, 2008
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Baghdad: Infuriated by the recent shooting deaths of four civilians by US soldiers, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has decided to appoint a judge to hear evidence in the cases, a close aide said on Sunday.
"There must be a hearing of some sort by an Iraqi judge," said Haider Abadi, a member of parliament from Al Maliki's Dawa party and a member of the Prime Minister's inner circle.
The appointment of a judge to hear evidence against US soldiers would represent a significant encroachment on the rules laid down during the US occupation, which provide foreigners working in the country immunity from Iraqi judicial process.
Abadi acknowledged that the judge would have no authority to convict or sentence Americans.
"It's not acceptable Iraqis getting killed without even knowing if it is the result of a tragic incident or this is negligence on the part of the US military," he said.
Abadi said he had been told the US military was willing to cooperate but said he was sceptical that it would produce investigative documents or allow soldiers to testify. The military did not respond to a query asking if it would participate.
Abadi described the proceeding as something akin to a US coroner's inquest. It would allow all the evidence to be weighed in public by a judge who would decide whether there was criminal negligence.
He hoped the hearing would provide a way out of the impasse over immunity, which has tied up negotiations over extending the US military's authorization to stay in Iraq after its UN mandate expires at yearend.
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