Hussein's trial shabby and flawed

Human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) on Sunday sharply criticized the verdict served in Baghdad to Saddam Hussein, saying the trial had been 'marred by serious flaws.' AI's director for the Middle East and North Africa, Malcom Smart, said 'this trial should have been a major contribution towards establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq, and in ensuring truth and accountability for the massive human rights violations perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's rule. 'In practice, it has been a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws that call into question the capacity of the tribunal, as currently established, to administer justice fairly, in conformity with international standards,' he added. Smart said that every accused had the right to a fair trial, something which itself had been 'routinely ignored through the decades of Saddam Hussein's tyranny.' This was rejected by Mr Downer who told ABC radio the trial was fair. "I don't think that it was a shabby affair. The information that we have is that the trial was a fair trial and it was conducted appropriately. I don't think there's any doubt about that," Mr Downer said. "It's a great thing that a country like (Iraq) can now have a fair and reasonable judicial system and that it is underpinned by democratic institutions, despite the difficulties in the country," he said. "He is a man who we all know was a tyrant and he's been tried in a court.