Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal

The Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT),^[1] formerly the Iraqi Special Tribunal^[2] and sometimes referred to as the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal, is a body established under Iraqi national law to try Iraqi nationals or residents accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious crimes committed between 1968 and 2003. It organized the trial of Saddam Hussein and other members of his Ba'ath Party regime.

The court was set up by a specific statute issued under the Coalition Provisional Authority and was reaffirmed under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi Interim Government. In 2005 it was renamed after the constitution established that "Special or exceptional courts may not be established."^[3] The Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) promulgated by the Iraq Governing Council before the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty preserved and continued the Iraq Special Tribunal Statute in force and effect.

The court was responsible for the trial of Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid (also known as "Chemical Ali"), former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan, former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and other former senior officials in the deposed Ba'athist regime.

^ Scharf, Michael P. (1 May 2007). "The Iraqi High Tribunal A Viable Experiment in International Justice?". Journal of International Criminal Justice. 5 (2): 258–263. doi:10.1093/jicj/mqm011. ISSN 1478-1387.
^ "Law of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Republic of Iraq. 18 October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2008. Article 37, The Statute of the Iraqi Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity, Law No. 1 of 2003, and the Rules of Procedure issued under Article 16 thereof shall be abolished with effect from the date of the coming into force of this Law
^ Laughland, John A history of political trials: from Charles I to Saddam Hussein, p.242

[1] Scharf, Michael P. (1 May 2007). "The Iraqi High Tribunal A Viable Experiment in International Justice?". Journal of International Criminal Justice. 5 (2): 258–263. doi:10.1093/jicj/mqm011. ISSN 1478-1387.

[2] "Law of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Republic of Iraq. 18 October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2008. Article 37, The Statute of the Iraqi Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity, Law No. 1 of 2003, and the Rules of Procedure issued under Article 16 thereof shall be abolished with effect from the date of the coming into force of this Law

[3] Laughland, John A history of political trials: from Charles I to Saddam Hussein, p.242

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