World waits for court glimpse of Saddam

Iraqis and the world will get their first glimpse of Saddam Hussein since his capture in December when he and 11 of his top lieutenants are brought to court tomorrow to face war crimes charges likely to include the 1988 chemical weapons massacre of Kurds and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Already there are pre-trial negotiations over permitting Saddam’s foreign legal team to work in Iraq, whether to televise the proceedings and whether to reinstate the harshest penalty in Iraq’s legal code: hanging by the neck until dead.