Recognizing the Importance and Credibility of an Independent Iraqi Judiciary

RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE AND CREDIBILITY OF AN INDEPENDENT IRAQI JUDICIARY -- (House of Representatives - December 14, 2005)

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Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for helping us move this legislation expeditiously. Of course, I thank Chairman Hyde for his role in that. I thank the gentleman from California as well.

Two years ago yesterday, December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured and his tortured reign was finally and officially and completely at an end.

While that was a significant turning point in this war, we all knew the path to a free and democratic Iraq would not be easy. Yet after years of oppression and torture, the Iraqi people are growing closer to having a nation ruled by their people instead of a nation ruled by fear.

Earlier this year, the passage of the Iraqi constitution marked a significant milestone in the recovery of the sovereign nation of Iraq. In excess of 60 percent of the people of Iraq braved the terrorists, braved the threats of violence to be able to cast their vote.

Indeed, at 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow morning, the polls will close in Iraq and the Iraqi people will have reached another historic milestone. Iraqi men and women worldwide are going to the polls in droves to be able to democratically elect the nation's first permanent constitutional parliament in decades.

While there will still be hurdles for the Iraqi people to overcome today, we celebrate with our friends as they continue to take courageous steps in becoming their own sovereign nation.

Mr. Speaker, a free and democratic Iraq will equal a safer world. And for the safety of our own Nation, I firmly believe that we must continue to support the sovereign endeavors of the Iraqi people and this developing nation. Tonight I rise to speak about an important House resolution, H. Res. 534, that enables this body to boldly support the governing efforts in Iraq.

We are all well aware of the current trial of Saddam Hussein; and while this trial is important, a strong, independent Iraqi judicial system is of even greater importance.

A crucial component to a free and democratic nation is its judicial system in which alleged criminals can be indicted; prosecuted; if convicted, punished in a fair and impartial manner. As Members of Congress, we have an obligation to uphold and support this principle especially in a land that has been inflicted with egregious crimes against humanity.

The Iraqi Special Tribunal has been impaneled to bring swift and impartial justice to both the victims and the nation of Iraq, and I call on my colleagues to support H. Res. 534, which recognizes the importance and credibility of an independent Iraqi judiciary.

The people of Iraq, the people of a sovereign nation, deserve true justice, which can only be obtained through a recognized and credible judicial system. The judges, the lawyers involved face daily peril for their courageous stand. And we have an opportunity to stand firmly with the Iraqi people and support the ongoing trials and efforts of the Iraqi Special Tribunal.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity, the privilege, to travel to Iraq four times during the past 2 years. During every mission, I have been able to witness firsthand the progress that is being made by our troops on the ground and by the Iraqi Government. Mr. Speaker, I have a picture, a picture from my last trip to Iraq in August of this year, and I want to point out this was a picture, Mr. Speaker, that I took flying over in a Blackhawk helicopter. These helicopters are menacing vehicles. They travel low. They travel fast. They have guns sticking out the side. I stuck my camera out the window to take a picture, and mostly I wanted to take a picture of the satellite antennae that were on the rooftops. Of course, satellite television was prohibited under Saddam's regime, and, in fact, a year in prison was the punishment, as I understand. I took a picture because there were satellite antennae on a lot of the rooftops.

But as I looked at this picture when I got home, I noticed that there were two figures on the rooftop. So I blew this picture up considerably. And, Mr. Speaker, as we look at this, we can see two apparently children standing on the rooftop. The larger child, who appears to be a girl, is waving; and a smaller, more inquisitive child, which I think is a boy, is sort of leaning over and looking at this impressive Blackhawk helicopter going over.

And the girl is waving. She has an expression of absolute joy of seeing the helicopter flying over her city. And why would this be? Why would she be happy about seeing a menacing Blackhawk helicopter with guns sticking out the side flying over her city? Well, Mr. Speaker, I submit the reason for her joy is the small boy at her side. The small boy at her side is the reason for her joy because this child knows that 3 years ago, 3 years ago, there is probably a crawl space in this house somewhere where this small boy could be hidden if Saddam's conscriptionists came down the street trying to find people for his army. And that is the reason for her joy. That is the reason why this country should rejoice about what we have been able to do for the people of this long-suffering nation.

Mr. Speaker, significant progress is being made, and it is imperative that they have our continued support. And today, tonight, we can continue to help provide that support through H. Res. 534.

Throughout our efforts in providing continued support to Iraq, I would be remiss if I did not mention the determination, the skill of our Armed Forces and their resolution in continuing their mission in Iraq. It is due to the bravery and the perseverance of the U.S. military members and their coalition allies that the tyranny of Saddam is over, over forever. I applaud our troops and our leadership for their success.

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