The lawyer of two Iraqis accused of war crimes and membership of a terrorist organization resigned this Wednesday from his mandate because he understands that there will not be a “fair and fair trial” in Portugal.
Vítor Carreto abandoned his role as a representative of the accused at the start of the trial, saying that they “will never have a fair and just trial in Portugal according to legal procedure in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights.” after the prosecutor of the prosecutor’s office at the meeting demanded that the two Iraqi brothers be found guilty of the crimes specified in the indictment.
Given the resignation of Vitor Carreto, Judge Alexandra Veiga requested the appointment of an unofficial lawyer to the Bar, informing the accused that if they wished, they could appoint another representative and that they would not be questioned until this defense issue was resolved. Thus, the court will limit itself for now to establishing the identity of the defendants.
Before resigning, lawyer Vítor Carreto said that the trial was “the result of collateral damage caused by Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States to the people of Durao Barroso, José Maria Aznar, Tony Blair and George W. Bush. In March 2003, they began eliminating Saddam Hussein’s regime, claiming that they possessed weapons of mass destruction and were complicit in the September 11 attacks.”
Vítor Carreto also stated that during the process, which lasted five years, “everything was approved by the Ministry of State (MP) for investigation and instructions”, while the accused Ammar and Yasser “everything was rejected”: “It was not even the defendants allowed to see or hear alleged witnesses who accuse them in general terms and without evidence.”
“It is for all these reasons that the accused do not believe in Portuguese justice and do not recognize the Portuguese courts as competent to try this case,” the lawyer emphasized, accusing Portugal of living “under the dominance of a North American vision, in collusion with the decision to invade Iraq.” .
He also stated that since 2020, the MP knows that a case is being conducted in Iraq on the same facts that the Portuguese court now wants to consider, warning that no one should be tried twice on the same facts.
“Confidence in Portuguese justice has been undermined, as in the case of Islamophobia initiated by Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States in 2003, neutrality or impartiality can no longer be invoked,” he stressed, saying that the last hope of the defendants lies with the European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) and the International Criminal Court (TIP) in The Hague.
At the start of today’s hearing, the MP showed a video obtained by a United Nations (UN) team showing Daesh atrocities against people considered infidels.
With this video, the prosecutor stated that she intended to demonstrate the use of “extreme violence by Daesh in the territories they occupied, and expressed confidence that the defendants will be convicted of the crimes set out in the indictment, in light of the documentary materials, testimony and expert evidence that will be presented in court.
Two Iraqi brothers Ammar Amin and Yasser Amin appeared in court today under close police and prison surveillance.
One of them, Ammar Amin, went on a five-day hunger strike earlier this month to protest harsh conditions at Monsanto’s maximum security prison and a ban on contact with people or family members on the street.
In September 2022, the Office of the Public Prosecutor (PO) charged two Iraqi brothers with the crimes of joining a terrorist organization, war crimes against the people, and, for one defendant, the crime of resistance and coercion against an employee.
The investigation, conducted by the Department of Central Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DCIAP), investigated the activities of the accused as members of Daesh in the departments of Al-Hisbah (religious police) and Al-Amniyah (intelligence services) during the terrorist’s occupation of Iraq. organization., namely in the period from 2014 to 2016.
Having remained in Portugal since March 2017 as part of the European Union (EU) refugee resettlement program, Ammar Amin and Yasser Amin have been in preventive detention since September 2021, when they were detained by judicial police.
One of the brothers was working at the Mezze restaurant in Arroios (Lisbon) when Prime Minister António Costa and President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited the place, famous for its integration of refugees.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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