IRAQ: The lawyers set to try Saddam Hussein live in fear that the former dictator's henchmen will hunt them down.
This week half of the 50 investigators were appointed to Iraq's Special Tribunal for Crimes against Humanity, where Saddam and other top Baath party members will stand trial. Since their appointment, investigators live under 24-hour security with their identities hidden.
Once the trial begins the investigators will move between a number of safe house.
"The people opposed to this trial will do everything in their power to stop it," said Mr Salem Chalabi, the lawyer who is setting up the court. "But that is not going to deter us from bringing Saddam to justice," he said.
The threat they face from regime loyalists is very real, according to Mr Chalabi. Five potential members of the court have been killed since the announcement of the Iraq's Special Tribunal in December.
One of them, Muhan Jabr al-Shuwaili, was gunned down in Najaf whilst he investigated former Baath officials.
Mr Chalabi himself has been ambushed and receives daily death threats.
"I haven't spent the same night in one place for weeks. It's been very harsh," said the American-educated lawyer, whose uncle is Iraqi National Congress leader Mr Ahmed Chalabi.
Saddam's trial is likely at least a year away, but there is mounting pressure in the country for him to be tried and executed as soon as possible.
This week Iraq's new justice minister announced that his first measure would be to re-impose the death penalty for major crimes, previously suspended by the US-led administration.
Saddam, should he be found guilty, will face death by hanging.
"There is huge desire for most Iraqis to get Saddam on trial quickly. But we've got to do this properly. We can't have a sham trial. The international community will watch how we bring Saddam to justice," said Mr Chalabi.
"Ultimately a fair trial is the only way to build a country that respects the rule of law."
That means building a meticulous case against Saddam and other senior Baathists.
They will be tried in relation to 14 crimes during the Baath reign of terror.
They include the chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, to the crushing of the Shia revolt in 1992.
No charges have been brought against former regime members, and none are likely to be brought before the New Year.
There are nine miles of seized documents for investigators to sift through, as well hundreds of witness testimony to be gathered.
"It's a colossal undertaking," said Mr Chalabi, who recently visited The Hague to see Slobodan Milosevic on trial.
He has not been impressed with the handling of the former Serb-leader's case.
"We're not going to give Saddam a platform to talk to the nation. We're going to focus strictly on the crimes his regime committed," said Mr Chalabi.
Saddam will receive short shrift if he accuses other countries of political involvement. He is currently languishing in US custody at an undisclosed location.
He has indicated through his family, he wants an unnamed French lawyer to represent him.