Dear Foreign Secretary Beckett,

I write to you requesting clarification on the British government’s position on the recent trial and execution of Saddam Hussein. Your recent comments applauding the fact that Saddam was tried by an “Iraqi court” and that he has now been “held to account” are interesting observations when we consider that the terms of the tribunal set up to try Saddam required approval by the US Defence and State departments, that the trial, its judges and lawyers were massively funded by the US and UK governments and that the trial took a total of six different judges to come to a close. Even if we ignore the problem that any Iraqi judge who lived under the 24 year reign of Saddam Hussein could not seriously be considered impartial and we also ignore the background of violence which claimed the lives of seven people involved with the trial, including three of Saddam’s defence lawyers we are left some fairly blatant political interference. Are we to believe that the announcement of Saddam’s guilt on the 5th Nov, shortly before the US congressional and senate elections was an amazing coincidence? Do you believe that a legal system which allows trial judges to be selected and removed directly by politicians is a serious form of justice?

It is quite apparent to me that this trial was a complete sham, that whatever the Iraqi government’s intentions and capabilities there was no way that they or their US sponsors could be impartial in this case. It should very clearly have been tried in the Hague, but then that would have involved some form of international justice system, something the US administration is allergic to.

However, I do congratulate you for your fervour in supporting justice in principle in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein’s reign lead to the brutal deaths of many innocent people, statistically much like the reign of GW Bush and Tony Blair has. I assume that you will pursue, with equal vigour, justice for the innocent civilians killed in the US missile attack on Damadola village, in Pakistan in January 06 for example. Surely bringing the cold blooded murders of women and children to trial is what international justice is all about? Will you be calling for an investigation and trial of those who ordered the killings in Damadola?

Yours sincerely

AJ Bladderwait