Bangladeshi lawyers willing to plead for Saddam

Nearly a dozen lawyers of the Bangladesh Supreme Court have expressed their willingness to go to Iraq to plead for ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussain, who is under detention by US-led coalition forces.

In a statement published in mass-circulated vernacular daily ’Prothom Alo’, the 11 lawyers said they are making preparations to extend legal assistance to Saddam.

Asked to comment on the statement, Ozair Farooq, the immediate past President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said most lawyers are juniors and only a few in mid-level.

The senior-most among the legal volunteers is said to be a supporter of former military ruler H M Ershad.

Bangladesh, despite being a Muslim-majority country, did not oppose ousting Saddam by the US-led coalition. Dhaka, however, maintains that it will send troops there only under the aegis of the United Nations.

Even after his fall, there are large number of Saddam fans in Bangladesh and demonstrations for his release still take place although the frequency has died down. Dhaka, (PTI)

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