Features

March 15, 2007

Taha Yassin Ramadan Loses Appeal on Death Penalty

Today, an Iraqi appeals court upheld a decision to sentence former Iraqi vice-president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, to death for his role in the Dujail crimes. Counsel for Ramadan is expected to file an appeal against his re-sentencing from life imprisonment to death by hanging. The Trial Chamber of the Iraqi High Tribunal originally imposed the increased sentence on February 12, 2007 after an Appeals Chamber decision directed them to do so without giving its reasoning. The trial and sentencing processes were fundamentally flawed.

Anticipating the decision, on March 11, 2007, Human Rights Wacth and the International Center for Transitional Justice issued a joint media advisory, which they followed with a press release
"Iraq: Reverse Dujail Death Sentence for Ramadan", urging the Appeals Chamber to reverse its decision.

In November 2006, the ICTJ also issued a report "Dujail: Trial and Error?" (http://www.ictj.org/static/MENA/Iraq/ICTJDujailBrief.eng.pdf), questioning whether Dujail met international fair trial standards.