Ramsey Clark
Ramsey Clark
William Ramsey Clarkis an American lawyer, activist and former federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States Department of Justice under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, notably serving as United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969; previously he was Deputy Attorney General from 1965 to 1967 and Assistant Attorney General from 1961 to 1965...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPublic Servant
Date of Birth18 December 1927
CountryUnited States of America
There is not a person who feels secure. It's impossible to hold a fair trial in such a climate ... A trial is supposed to be a rational process. Fear is the ultimate irrationality. How do you function in fear?
This trial can divide or heal. Unless it is seen as absolutely fair, and fair in fact, it will divide rather than reconcile Iraq.
We are living in Iraq, a country that I love, in a very dangerous time. Reconciliation is essential. This trial can either divide or heal.
Our first concern is the security of the lawyers because without security you can't possibly have a fair trial, if trial at all, and that's not been adequately attended to.
This case presents as great a challenge of the possibility of a fair trial as any you're likely to see because the emotions are so intense,
A fair trial in this case is absolutely imperative for historical truth.
Reconciliation is essential. This trial can either divide or heal. And unless it is seen as absolutely fair, and as absolutely fair in fact, it will irreconcilably divide the people of Iraq.
Both trials are marred with injustice, both are flawed.
The statutes of the high court in Iraq requires a public hearing but he (the presiding judge) arbitrarily cut it off so that you the press and the rest of the world could not see what he said.
I've been in many unpopular cases where there's been high community prejudice against the defendants, but here everybody has been hurt, and everybody is angry,
President Saddam Hussein was in very good spirits, very clear minded. We had a good discussion after the court.
Both commanders were courageous enough to fight more powerful countries.
Cutting off the president (Saddam) was absolutely unwarranted. He has international rights to a public trial.
It creates sectarian passions that destroy rationality and reason and the search for truth.