International Courant
EXCLUSIVE — The Division of Justice (DOJ) was slated to roll out the welcome mat in October for an Iraqi choose who issued an arrest warrant for former President Donald Trump as a result of he ordered the assassination of a worldwide Iranian terrorist chargeable for the murders of greater than 600 American navy personnel, in response to the U.S. authorities.
Fox Information Digital completely discovered final week by means of a supply with first-hand information of his travels that the alleged pro-Iran regime jurist, Faiq Zidan, was set to go to the DOJ.
But after a flurry of Fox Information Digital press queries to the DOJ inside a 24-hour interval, the DOJ ostensibly and dramatically backtracked on its invitation to Zidan.
A supply aware of the state of affairs informed Fox Information on Thursday, “Zidan is not going to be assembly with any DOJ officers.”
When requested in regards to the go to previous to cancellation, a State Division spokesperson informed Fox Information Digital in a press release on Wednesday, “The Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan goes to be hosted by the Division of Justice so we defer to the DoJ to debate their conferences. We have interaction with a variety of counterparts in Iraq and we worth participating the Iraqi judiciary. The DOJ meets frequently with international judicial leaders.”
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The DOJ was set to welcome Faiq Zidan, an Iraqi choose, who issued an arrest warrant for former President Donald Trump. (AP Picture / Charlie Neibergall / File)
In line with a separate supply aware of the Zidan’s invitation to the DOJ, the choose informed many U.S. officers the DOJ invited him to Washington, D.C. The looks of working at cross-purposes between the State Division and DOJ suggests there might have been pressure over the invitation to Zidan resulting from his pro-Iranian regime rhetoric and conduct.
In January, Zidan mentioned that Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council filed an arrest warrant for Trump with regard to the focused killing of Iranian Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Pressure, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the top of the pro-Iran Kata’ib Hezbollah militia in 2020.
Iranian regime-controlled shops and different information organizations quoted Zidan, who declared that Trump confessed to his “crime” with respect to the assassination of the “Leaders of Victory.” In line with the U.S. authorities, terrorists loyal to the IRGC’s Soleimani murdered greater than 600 American navy personnel within the Center East. The U.S. and European Union designated Soleimani a terrorist.
Congressional letters despatched to President Biden in 2023 expressed alarm about Zidan. Simply final month, three influential congressmen wrote Biden: “We urge you to make each effort to finish the unacceptable remedy of Iraqi Kurds and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Authorities (KRG) by Iran-aligned components in Iraq.”
The letter famous, “You might be properly conscious of the position the U.S. performed in supporting the Iraqi individuals as they developed a structure in 2005 that established the semi-autonomous area of Kurdistan. The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Authorities (KRG) has served as one of many United States’ most dependable companions within the Center East, but is being economically strangled, politically and legally pressured, together with reportedly by Faiq Zidan, President of the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq, and militarily threatened by Iran and Iran-backed components in Baghdad.”
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Faiq Zidan, president of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, left, meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in September 2023. (Iraq Supreme Judicial Council)
There are numerous anglicized spellings of Zidan’s identify, together with Zaydan. The KRG is extensively thought of the one free area of Iraq and crucial ally of America in trendy Iraq.
Congressional letters have been despatched to President Biden in 2023 expressing alarm about Zidan. (Stephen Maturen / Getty Photographs / File)
The letter was signed by congressional representatives Michael Waltz, R-Florida, chairman of the Home International Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Fox Information Digital reached out to the State Division in regards to the September letter.
One other letter in February despatched by Waltz requested Biden, “Have the State or Treasury Departments has decided whether or not Faiq Zaydan, the President of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, meets the factors for sanctions for gross human rights, appearing as a international agent, corruption, and materials help as outlined by the International Magnitsky Act and E.O. 13818.” The Magnitsky Act permits the U.S. authorities to sanction international officers engaged in extreme human rights abuses. Govt Order 13818 freezes the property of people who’ve dedicated severe human rights violations.
Qassem Soleimani, middle, is proven in Tehran, Iran, in September 2016. (Workplace of the Iranian Supreme Chief through AP)
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Naz Durakoğlu, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, answered the February letter on behalf of the White Home in a letter dated March 22. Durakoğlu, whose workplace is a part of the State Division, wrote, with out naming the choose, “The Biden-Harris Administration stays dedicated to vigorously implementing our visa restrictions and sanctions applications, together with these associated to Iran and people associated to corruption. The State Division and Division of the Treasury actively evaluate circumstances and apply these authorities to designate individuals and entities globally. We don’t touch upon potential future visa restrictions or sanctions.”
Faiq Zidan, far proper, mentioned Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council filed an arrest warrant for former President Trump with regard to the focused killing of Iranian Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Pressure, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, head of the pro-Iran Kata’ib Hezbollah militia in 2020. (Authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
A State Division spokesperson informed Fox Information Digital they don’t touch upon correspondence between congressional representatives and the State Division.
Fox Information Digital reached out to the White Home and the Nationwide Safety Council for a remark. The NSC referred Fox Information Digital to the DOJ.
Previous to the Thursday’s disclosure that the DOJ pulled the plug on its assembly with Zidan, quite a few Iraq specialists weighed in on the deliberate DOJ assembly with Zidan.
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Washington, D.C.-based Basis for Protection of Democracies, informed Fox Information Digital, “The Justice Division ought to be targeted on defending People focused by IRGC assassinations and kidnapping plots, not internet hosting the IRGC’s man in Baghdad who desires to prosecute People for killing terrorists. Zidan shouldn’t be allowed in America.”
Michael Knights, a fellow of the Washington Institute who has written about Zidan, informed Fox Information Digital that “Zidan issued one order after one other that has deprived opponents of Iranian militias.”
Knights mentioned that after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Soleimani and al-Muhandis “had been the architects of transferring Zidan up by means of the judicial system. He was operating counter-terrorism courts in order that none of Iran’s buddies obtained prosecuted underneath Iraqi legislation.”
The dearth of contemporary judicial norms in Iraq was famous by Knights who mentioned Zidan “is a supreme court docket choose who can rent and fireplace different judges. Iraq has one supreme court docket choose. He’s as highly effective because the prime minister of Iraq. He’s unelected, put in by Iran and has no time period restrict.”
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Knights pointed to an instance of Zidan’s alleged human rights violations involving the case of an American citizen who was detained final yr in Iraq as a result of he was investigating Zidan’s reported misconduct. He mentioned that “Zidan broke quite a few Iraqi legal guidelines by detaining the U.S. citizen” who was tortured bodily and mentally. The American was incarcerated for 11 weeks earlier than Senate Republican Chief Mitch McConnell helped safe their launch.
Knights mentioned the U.S. authorities ought to “completely” sanction Zidan for human rights abuses. And he famous, “What it [DOJ] shouldn’t be doing is inviting him to the nation to congratulate him on the good job he’s doing.” Such a go to to the DOJ would have solely empowered Zidan and his pro-Iran regime actions in Iraq, Knights added.
Entifadh Qanbar, the president of the Kurdish Safety Motion Committee (KPAC) within the U.S., informed Fox Information Digital that Zidan is a “harmful particular person.” Qanbar, who labored as a civil engineer in Iraq, mentioned, “It’s a catastrophe” that the DOJ invited Zidan as a result of “he has no morals and offered himself to the Iranians. Regardless of the Iranians inform him to do, he does. He issued an arrest warrant in opposition to Trump.”
After a flurry of Fox Information Digital press queries to the DOJ inside a 24-hour interval, the DOJ ostensibly and dramatically backtracked on its invitation to Zidan. (Ting Shen / Bloomberg through Getty Photographs / File)
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Qanbar mentioned that after Iranian-backed militias killed 800 Iraqis in 2019, Zidan didn’t convict any of the killers and that Iranian militias bragged about it.
Fox Information Digital spoke to Zidan’s consultant on the phone, and she or he requested for a written WhatsApp press question. Zidan didn’t reply to the Fox Information Digital WhatsApp media question.
Fox Information Digital additionally despatched press queries to the Iraqi International Ministry and its embassy in Washington.
Thriller surrounds go to to DC of Iran-backed Iraqi choose who issued warrant for Trump’s arrest
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