The trial on Tuesday began with Saddam informing the court that he and his seven co-defendants had been on a hunger strike for the past three days to protest the way they were being treated.  

But even without Saddam telling the world, it wasn’t hard to notice that the defendants, top members of the former regime, were determined to boycott the court proceedings.  If Saddam shouted slogans against the occupation like a regulation political activist, his former lieutenants, who attended the trial in their night casuals, sat with their back to the judge.

This trial has degenerated into a real farce.  There is no point in persisting with it.  Even as serious questions are being raised about the fairness and objectivity of the presiding judge, it is clear that it has become almost impossible to conduct the trial in a free and fair manner.  Shifting the trial to a neutral country where both prosecution and defendants are free from all pulls and pressure has now become necessary. It is important to bring Saddam and his co-accused to justice. But more important is the manner in which justice is dispensed.