Attorney that advised Iraqi court comes to campus
By Ame Phitwong
Phil Lynch, the Washington state attorney in charge of the team of American lawyers who advised the Iraqi court in the Saddam Hussein trial, spoke at UP last week about his experience.
Lynch and the other attorneys who aided in the trial have collectively given more than 1,000 presentations around the nation regarding their experiences working on the trial. They have spoken to an array of audiences, ranging from fourth graders to law school students.
"I think for the American people, we have an obligation to them. If the American government is spending the American taxpayer's money, they have a right to know what we're doing with it," Lynch said during the presentation.
Before Lynch began his presentation, he told the audience that everything he said was his own words, not a reflection of the American government.
He said he is a registered Democrat and opposed the war, but believed it was his duty to provide guidance to the newly appointed Iraqi counsel who would be working on the Hussein trial. Lynch was selected because of his history with the military and his extensive experience as a lawyer in Washington State.
"We were advising only," Lynch explained. "We were not going to tell them what to do."
Lynch highlighted the structure of how the traditional Iraqi court system operated and the obstacles the U.S. attorneys encountered. Mass grave sites in Iraq were dug up in search of evidence of Hussein's crimes. Lynch said the smallest grave site spanned 8½ football fields.
"There was no doubt Saddam Hussein should be prosecuted for his war crimes," Lynch said. "But getting witnesses to come to trial was very difficult." He explained that many witnesses feared for their lives and did not trust the government.
Throughout the presentation, Lynch spoke of previous military comrades and other lawyers involved with the trial.
He told the audience stories and about his relationships with these people, some who were killed during the trial, bringing a grave reality to the audience as some shuddered.
"I viewed my job as 'I'm going to keep (the people working around me) alive.' I didn't want the defending counsel or judges killed during the murder trial. Personally, I don't agree with trying (a case) in a war zone," Lynch said.
Although at times the seriousness of the events in Iraq created a morose tone or instilled frustration in the audience, Lynch said these presentations needed to be done. He wanted the audience to think about American policies. He wanted students to understand why things were done the way they were and how they as citizens can influence the government.
Most of all, Lynch said he wanted to provoke thought and motivate people to get involved by having a clear understanding of what their government is doing.
Freshman Polly Peterson thought Lynch's talk was really informative, well put together and easy to listen to.
"I really liked that he was open about his own opinions and was unbiased," Peterson said.
Afterward, Peterson asked Lynch who he was considering supporting for the presidency. She said his opinion was very valuable to her and that she will take it into account when she makes her decision. Lynch said he was not officially supporting any one candidate, but did admire Barrack Obama based on his personal encounters with the senator and Obama's stance.
Sophomore Evan Williams said he learned a lot from Lynch's talk.
"It was really interesting to see the differences in the Iraqi perspective on justice and the American perspective and how they ran the trial," Williams said.
Lynch will return to Iraq for one year in January to take charge of all the Department of Justice components.
He said his main goal is to get the Iraqis to understand the rule of law.
For the future of Iraq, Lynch believes the U.S. should be able to lessen the number of American people there, military and civilians. Although it is a very difficult goal, Lynch hopes that Iraq will have a viable government that includes the Sunni, Shiites and Kurds.
But ultimately, "I just want our kids to come home," Lynch said.
