Khamis al-Obeidi

Khamis al-Obeidi (Template:Lang-ar) (born July 7, 1966 – June 21, 2006) was a lawyer defending Saddam Hussein and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti's , from the time the former dictator's trial began in Baghdad on October 19, 2005 until his assassination. He was a Sunni Muslim, and was married with six children.

Killing

Al-Obeidi was abducted from his house in Adhamiya district at approximately 7 AM, reportedly by men in Iraqi police uniform, and shot to death on June 21, 2006. He was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds, and is the third member of Saddam Hussein's defense team to be killed since the trial started. His body was found near the Shia district of Sadr City. He had previously spoken out against the two previous killings of defence lawyers, and the lack of security measures for him and his colleagues. Despite this, he had chosen to continue living in the Iraqi capital.

The killing occured shortly before the final phase of Saddam Hussein's trial, and Khalil al-Dulaimi, Saddam's chief defence lawyer, believes that it was an attempt to intimidate Saddam's defense team, and blamed the Interior Ministry who have been alleged by Sunni Arabs to operate death squads who impersonate Iraqi police.

Reaction

Al-Obeidi's death prompted Saddam Hussein, along with the seven co-defendants, to go on a hunger strike with the intent of continuing until their defense team is provided international protection. However, the trial's chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi stated that "We will continue with the trial and will not be deterred." Amnesty International have called for an investigation into the incident.