Gunmen have shot and killed another lawyer in the high-profile Saddam Hussein trial in Iraq. Adel al-Zubeidi was gunned down by assailants, who sped off in their getaway car, in the Adil neighborhood of Baghdad. He had been representing former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan, one of Saddam’s seven co-defendants in the crimes against humanity trial. A second defence lawyer, Thamir al-Khuzaie, was injured in the attack. Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi has alleged the Iraqi government is involved in the killing. He said “an armed group using government vehicles” was responsible for the murder. He accused the government of trying to intimidate foreign and Arab lawyers. He also criticized the protection offered to Saddam’s legal team.

Mr. Zubeidi is the second defence lawyer in the trial to be slain in the past month. In late October, Iraqi police found the bullet-ridden body of Saadoun al-Janabi. He was the lawyer for one of Saddam’s co-accused, a Baath party official being tried for murder and torture in the 1982 massacre of Shias in northern Baghdad. After Mr. Janabi’s murder, several members of the defence team said they would not appear in court until security was improved. However, the lawyers have turned down offers of protection from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which the lawyers say is a bastion of anti-Saddam sentiment and partially under the control of the US military. Prosecutors and judges in the trial have been assigned with heavy security.

WARM-UPS

1. I’M A LAWYER: You are now a lawyer. Walk around the class and talk to the other “lawyers”. Ask them their reasons for choosing their profession. What cases are they currently fighting? Have they been involved in any high-profile trials? Would they like to defend Saddam Hussein? What kind of lifestyle do they have?

2. DANGEROUS JOBS: Look at the following jobs. Talk with your partner(s) about the dangers involved in each job. Which are the three safest ones and three most dangerous ones? If you had to choose, which one would you do?

Saddam Hussein lawyer	Avian bird flu researcher
George W. Bush’s bodyguard	Mafia boss
North Korean opposition leader	Landmine clearance worker
US soldier in Iraq	War correspondent

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Gunmen / lawyers / Iraq / Saddam Hussein / getaway cars / crimes against humanity / Baghdad / torture / security / protection / US military / judges

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. SADDAM HUSSEIN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with Saddam Hussein. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

5. DICTATORS: What do you know about Saddam Hussein and his brutal dictatorship? Talk about him with your partner(s). Compare him with these other infamous leaders.

Adolf Hitler  Josef Stalin  Pol Pot  Robert Mugabe   Kim Jong Il   Idi Amin   Chairman Mao

6. SADDAM TRIAL OPINIONS: Do you agree with these opinions? Talk about them with your partner(s).

1. Saddam doesn’t need a trial. He’s obviously guilty and should be executed now.
2. The trial should be moved to a safer country.
3. All legal staff involved in the trial should receive presidential levels of protection.
4. The trial is a farce – many witnesses are too scared to testify.
5. Iraq will be more peaceful if Saddam is found guilty and executed.
6. Saddam and his co-accused should not be executed. Life in prison is OK.
7. Saddam’s trial will send a warning to the world’s dictators.
8. Saddam should be tried by the Iraqi people in a nationwide referendum.

Change partners and compare what you talked about.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	One of Saddam Hussein’s former lawyers has been executed in Iraq.	T / F
b.	There are eight people on trial including Saddam Hussein.	T / F
c.	A lawyer said Iraq’s government was involved in the killing.	T / F
d.	Saddam’s lawyer has accused Iraq’s government of intimidation.	T / F
e.	The bullet-ridden body of another lawyer was found just days earlier.	T / F
f.	A former Saddam aide is accused of massacring of 1,982 Shiite Iraqis.	T / F
g.	Iraq’s Interior Ministry was cited as a bastion of pro-Saddam feeling.	T / F
h.	Judges in the trial have been assigned with heavy security.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	gunned down	asserted
b.	assailants	stronghold
c.	defendants	frighten
d.	alleged	attackers
e.	intimidate	declined
f.	slain	feeling
g.	ridden	shot
h.	turned down	filled
i.	bastion	killed
j.	sentiment	suspects

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	gunned down	1982 massacre of Shias
b.	sped off	in the crimes against humanity trial
c.	one of Saddam’s seven co-defendants	trial to be slain in the past month
d.	alleged the Iraqi government is	in their getaway car
e.	accused the government of trying to	control of the US military
f.	the second defence lawyer in the	sentiment
g.	murder and torture in the	involved in the killing
h.	they would not appear in court	intimidate foreign and Arab lawyers
i.	a bastion of anti-Saddam	until security was improved
j.	partially under the	by assailants

WHILE READING / LISTENING

WORD ORDER: Put the underlined words back into the correct order.

Second Saddam Hussein lawyer killed

Gunmen have shot and killed another lawyer in the high-profile Saddam Hussein trial in Iraq. Adel al-Zubeidi assailants by gunned was down, who sped off in their getaway car, in the Adil neighborhood of Baghdad. He had been representing former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan, seven of Saddam’s co-defendants one in the crimes against humanity trial. A second defence lawyer, Thamir al-Khuzaie, was injured in the attack. Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi has involved the government is alleged Iraqi in the killing. He said “an armed group using government vehicles” was responsible for the murder. He accused the government of trying to intimidate foreign and Arab lawyers. He offered the protection criticized also to Saddam’s legal team.

Mr. Zubeidi is the second defence lawyer slain in the be to trial in the past month. In late October, Iraqi police found the bullet-ridden body of Saadoun al-Janabi. He was the lawyer for one of Saddam’s co-accused, a Baath party official murder tried for being torture and in the 1982 massacre of Shias in northern Baghdad. After Mr. Janabi’s murder, several members of the defence team said they would not appear in court until security was improved. However, the offers turned lawyers down have of protection from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which the lawyers say sentiment is anti-Saddam of a bastion and partially under the control of the US military. Prosecutors and judges in the trial have been assigned with heavy security.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Second Saddam Hussein lawyer killed

________ have shot and killed another lawyer in the high-profile Saddam Hussein trial in Iraq. Adel al-Zubeidi was gunned down by ___________, who sped off in their ___________ car, in the Adil neighborhood of Baghdad. He had been representing former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan, one of Saddam’s seven ___-_____________ in the crimes against humanity trial. A second defence lawyer, Thamir al-Khuzaie, was injured in the attack. Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi has ________ the Iraqi government is involved in the killing. He said “an ________ group using government vehicles” was responsible for the murder. He accused the government of trying to _____________ foreign and Arab lawyers. He also criticized the protection offered to Saddam’s legal team.

Mr. Zubeidi is the second defence lawyer in the trial ___ ___ ______ in the past month. In late October, Iraqi police found the bullet-________ body of Saadoun al-Janabi. He was the lawyer for one of Saddam’s co-accused, a Baath party official being tried for murder and torture in the 1982 ___________ of Shias in northern Baghdad. After Mr. Janabi’s murder, several members of the defence team said they would not _________ ___ court until security was improved. However, the lawyers have turned down offers of protection from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which the lawyers say is a _________ of anti-Saddam sentiment and _________ under the control of the US military. Prosecutors and judges in the trial have been __________ with heavy security.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘defence’ and ‘lawyer’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. WORD ORDER: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers.

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “SADDAM HUSSEIN TRIAL” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about Saddam Hussein, his trial and the murders of his defence lawyers.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

another assailants seven injured alleged criticized

slain ridden 1982 improved bastion assigned

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Have you been following or are you interested in the Saddam Hussein trial?
3. Do you know who any of the co-accused are?
4. Would you be a witness in the trial if you had information about Saddam?
5. Do you think the lawyers in the case should receive unprecedented levels of protection?
6. What is Saddam on trial for?
7. Why do you think it is so easy for gunmen to kill defence lawyers?
8. Do you think the trial should be moved to another country?
9. Do you think the world community should depose other dictators and bring them to trial?
10. Which other world leaders would you brand as dictators and why?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Do you think Saddam will get a fair trial?
4. Do you think Saddam should be executed if he is found guilty?
5. What do you think would happen in Iraq if Saddam Hussein was somehow found not guilty and was freed?
6. Do you think the Iraqi government is really behind the killing of the lawyers?
7. Will Iraq be different if Saddam is found guilty and executed?
8. What questions would you like to ask Saddam Hussein?
9. What do you think his answers would be?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

TRIAL PROCEDURES: You are responsible for making sure Saddam Hussein’s trial continues and is concluded without further hitch. In pairs / groups, agree on actions for the points below. In the column on the right, write down your reasons for choosing these actions:

POINTS	REASONS
Trial in Iraq or another country.
Saddam tried alone or with co-accused.
Iraqi-only lawyers or a mix of Iraqi and foreign lawyers.
Lawyer protection.
Witness protection.
Punishment if found guilty.
Other.

• Change partners and show each other your suggestions and plans.
• Give each other feedback on whether these suggestions would be accepted by Iraqis and the US military. Offer advice on how to improve them.
• Role play a meeting between you and Saddam Hussein. You must present your plan to him. He will give you his opinions.
• Discuss which of the above problems are most urgent in ensuring the trial proceeds without further delays and hitches.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Saddam Hussein. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

3. TRIAL PLAN: Make a plan to ensure the trial of Saddam Hussein and his co-accused goes ahead without any further problems. Think about how to protect witnesses and lawyers. Show what you wrote to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

4. LETTER: Write a letter to the head of the Saddam Hussein trial. Tell him/her what you think of the recent murders of defence lawyers. Give your opinions on whether or not the trial should be moved to another country. Show what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. T

e. F

f. F

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	gunned down	shot
b.	assailants	attackers
c.	defendants	suspects
d.	alleged	asserted
e.	intimidate	frighten
f.	slain	killed
g.	ridden	filled
h.	turned down	declined
i.	bastion	stronghold
j.	sentiment	feeling

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	gunned down	by assailants
b.	sped off	in their getaway car
c.	one of Saddam’s seven co-defendants	in the crimes against humanity trial
d.	alleged the Iraqi government is	involved in the killing
e.	accused the government of trying to	intimidate foreign and Arab lawyers
f.	the second defence lawyer in the	trial to be slain in the past month
g.	murder and torture in the	1982 massacre of Shias
h.	they would not appear in court	until security was improved
i.	a bastion of anti-Saddam	sentiment
j.	partially under the	control of the US military

WORD ORDER:

Second Saddam Hussein lawyer killed

Gunmen have shot and killed another lawyer in the high-profile Saddam Hussein trial in Iraq. Adel al-Zubeidi was gunned down by assailants, who sped off in their getaway car, in the Adil neighborhood of Baghdad. He had been representing former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan, one of Saddam’s seven co-defendants in the crimes against humanity trial. A second defence lawyer, Thamir al-Khuzaie, was injured in the attack. Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi has alleged the Iraqi government is involved in the killing. He said “an armed group using government vehicles” was responsible for the murder. He accused the government of trying to intimidate foreign and Arab lawyers. He also criticized the protection offered to Saddam’s legal team.

Mr. Zubeidi is the second defence lawyer in the trial to be slain in the past month. In late October, Iraqi police found the bullet-ridden body of Saadoun al-Janabi. He was the lawyer for one of Saddam’s co-accused, a Baath party official being tried for murder and torture in the 1982 massacre of Shias in northern Baghdad. After Mr. Janabi’s murder, several members of the defence team said they would not appear in court until security was improved. However, the lawyers have turned down offers of protection from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which the lawyers say is a bastion of anti-Saddam sentiment and partially under the control of the US military. Prosecutors and judges in the trial have been assigned with heavy security.

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