Strasbourge 27 June 2006: Tariq Aziz's application to the European Court of Human Rights under emergency procedures known as Rule 39 which permits the Court to examine cases on an emergency basis moved positively forward today. Tariq Aziz's lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano stated: "I received late last night a letter from the Fourth Section of the ECHR acknowledging our request on an urgent basis, allocating a formal number (25475/06 AZIZ -v- UNITED KINGDOM & ITALY) and asking the following three questions in order to proceed: (a) to which forces precisely did the applicant hand himself over on 24 April 2003 and where, (b) which forces have detained the applicant since that date and where, and (c) on what date is it intended to hand the applicant over to the Iraqi authorities."
Mr Di Stefano said: "having spoken to Ziad Aziz and his mother late last night I am able to respond to the ECHR. Mr Aziz actually handed himself over to what he thought were BRITISH troops and there were indeed UK troops as well as US and Mr Aziz recalls hearing also Italian voices. He surrendered at 19.00pm exactly from the home of his daughter Amel Aziz in Baghdad in the presence of his wife and two other sons Mazen and Ziad. It is evidently clear he is guarded by US/UK and occasionally (in the past but not now) Italian troops and it is intended on a date unknown for physical security of all detainees to be handed over to the Iraqi. That is my main concern. If that happens the risk to the detainees is enhanced. Britain and Italy will not be allowed to simply bury their heads in sand and wash their hands in Pontius Pilate style. They signed agreements after World War 11 and must be bound by them."
"Its positive news and the first time my father has even had his case heard by any court" said his son Ziad Aziz yesterday from Amman in Jordan. "We had almost lost hope until Mr Di Stefano and Mr Marinelli made this application. My father has not seen a court in his own right. He has given evidence on behalf of Saddam Hussein but his own case is left in the abyss," stated Ziad.
The ECHR will rule shortly.
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