Assistant U.S. attorney speaks to Cape Girardeau Rotary Club of his tours in Iraq

Simply assisting Iraqi prosecutors in one of the most unforgettable criminal cases in history wasn't enough to get assistant U.S. attorney Larry Ferrell to a country on the verge of destruction.

It was in the pursuit of justice, the rule of law and the call to duty that brought Ferrell to Iraq on two occasions, for nine months in 2006 and from August 2008 to September 2009, when he served as justice attache to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Ferrell highlighted experiences from his two tours in Iraq at the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club meeting Monday at the Show Me Center.

Ferrell's first trip to Iraq was a cause for justice, he said, where he assisted Iraqi prosecutors in preparing evidence to present to the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal in cases of war crimes, including the trial of Saddam Hussein.

"The prosecution of Saddam Hussein and the members of the regime was an exceedingly just and righteous prosecution," Ferrell said. "For the people of Iraq, they deserved to see Saddam Hussein and his regime brought to justice, and seeking justice is what my job is all about."

Ferrell reviewed evidence that depicted hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who, under Hussein's regime, were victims of torture, murder and kidnapping. He has viewed photographs of mass graves and mothers holding their children tightly as they were about to be assassinated.

"I've seen evidence of judicially ordered hangings of hundreds of people who died and didn't see even the most rudimentary aspects of a fair trial," Ferrell said. "I can think of no country in greater need of justice than Iraq, and I can think of no man in greater need of being brought to justice than Saddam Hussein."

Hussein was executed in December 2006 after being convicted of charges related to the killings of 148 Iraqis who plotted out an assassination attempt.

According to Ferrell, one of the most important aspects of Hussein's trial was that it was televised nationally in Iraq, allowing citizens to see, for the first time, the rule of law applied in their country.

The rule of law, he said, was the principal reason he agreed to the second tour of Iraq. As a senior official to the U.S. Department of Justice in Iraq, Ferrell helped set up a system of justice that could help bring peace and stability to the country. He worked with Iraqi law enforcement and judiciary officials on how to effectively implement the rule of law.

"The rule of law is a belief that nations are ruled by laws and not by men and that all citizens, regardless of their stature, are assured the same equal and just application of the law," Ferrell said. "It's a concept which we all kind of take for granted in the United States."

For the first time in Iraq's history, the judicial system is being recognized as an independent branch of government, separate from any other branch.

Iraq now has a constitution that says the judiciary is independent and that no power, except the law, is above it.

"This is a monumental development in a country where the judiciary had been used by the executive authorities as an instrument of power and repression," Ferrell said.

Ferrell closed his presentation to the Rotary club members by highlighting the third reason he chose to serve in Iraq -- duty.

Sept. 11, 2001, should never be forgotten, he said, and the United States' presence in Iraq is an important part of the country's response to terrorism.

"I believe that living in this country ... is a cherished privilege, and with that privilege comes a responsibility to stand up when your country calls," Ferrell said.

ehevern@semissourian.com

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