By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president on Monday declared his "absolute innocence" in a terror trial that sentenced him to death on charges of masterminding the murder of rivals, and he rejected his conviction as a politically motivated sham.
Election results released Monday gave an edge to the pro-China faction in Hong Kong's legislature, where power is split between those aligned with Beijing and those who favor further democratic reforms.
An Iraqi court on Sunday found the nation's Sunni vice president guilty of running death squads against security forces and Shiites, and sentenced him to death in absentia.
Insurgents killed at least 44 people in a wave of attacks against Iraqi security forces Sunday, gunning down soldiers at an army post and bombing police recruits waiting in line to apply for jobs, officials said.
"The verdict is unjust, politicized, illegitimate and I will not recognize it. It means nothing to me," Mr. al-Hashemi told reporters in Ankara. "But I put it as a medal of honor on my chest because it was al-Maliki, not anyone else, behind it. For me, this proof that I'm innocent."
"The verdict is unjust, politicized, illegitimate, and I will not recognize it," al-Hashemi told reporters in the Turkish capital, Ankara. "But I put it as a medal of honor on my chest because it was al-Maliki, not anyone else, behind it. I'm proud that it is al-Maliki, and not anyone else, to target me."
Iraqi vice president claims innocence, says terror trial was a sham →
