Former Princeton resident set to leave for Iraq legal work

To assist Regime Crime Liaison Office in second trial of Saddam Hussein

By: Jake Uitti
   When he was 5 years old, Jan Kubicki-Mensz moved to Princeton with his family from New Haven, Conn., where he was born, so that his father could conduct postdoctoral work at Princeton University.
   As the years ticked by, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz attended Littlebrook Elementary, John Witherspoon School and Princeton High School, where he played basketball and ran track. Staying local, he attended Rutgers University during his freshman year, and later was accepted to Georgetown University as a transfer, leaving his Garden State roots to study political science and economics in the nation’s capital.
   "I came to Washington, D.C. because I thought I could get more first-hand experience," Mr. Kubicki-Mensz said. "Politics is something that has interested me from an early age. My parents were up on current events and it was something that always caught my attention."
   As part of his time at Georgetown, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz worked in the university library, spent three years tutoring local high school students, held an internship at the office of U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and even took a summer to ride his bike 1,600 miles from Indiana to Maine with a cycling group.
   Now, some 18 years since his move to Princeton, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz is packing his bags again, selling the furniture in his Washington apartment and preparing to move to the heart of Iraq to assist the Regime Crime Liaison Office — an independent office of the U.S. Embassy that is organized and supported by the U.S. Justice Department, where Mr. Kubicki-Mensz has worked for the past year.
   The office is involved in the second trial of Saddam Hussein.
   In May 2004, President George W. Bush established the RCLO as the lead U.S. government agency for support to the Iraqi Special Tribunal, which has jurisdiction to investigate charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and violations of certain Iraqi laws, and has investigations under way against Mr. Hussein and other former Iraqi officials.
   The RCLO is made up of U.S. attorneys, support staff, investigators and international forensic experts.
   In October, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz, one of the support staffers for the RCLO, will be flying to the International Zone in Baghdad for the second trial.
   The first trial of the former Iraqi dictator began Oct. 19, 2005, and a verdict is expected Oct. 16, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz said. That trial had to do with an isolated incident in which Mr. Hussein is charged in the massacre of 143 villagers, including women and children, after a failed assassination attempt in 1982.
   The trial that Mr. Kubicki-Mensz will be working on next month, once he leaves for Baghdad, is on a much larger scale.
   "The allegations are that following the Iran-Iraq war in 1989, Saddam’s men went up to Northern Iraq with chemical weapons and indiscriminately killed between 50,000 and 100,000 people," Mr. Kubicki-Mensz said. "He is being charged with using chemical weapons and performing mass executions. That’s where the forensic experts come in; they are discovering these mass graves all over the country."
   When dealing with someone charged in the ruthless murder of civilians on such a grand scale, it can be easy to lose sight of certain human rights, like the right to a fair trial. But, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz said, there have to be some fair standards held.
   "Personally, I believe in the development of international law," he said. "I think there are certain crimes that are special in terms of them going beyond just crimes against one population. Things like genocide and ethnic cleansing … really do affect the entire social order and humanity as a whole."
   He continued, "It’s an important development when dictators and people are held accountable, but of course it has to be done by fair standards. I think that’s the role we’re playing over there, making sure this isn’t just a show trial, but is held to some legitimate legal standards."
   As far as his day-to-day responsibilities in Baghdad, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz said he has not yet been told exactly what he will be doing, though he knows his duties will be fairly broad.
   "I’ll be organizing evidence, reviewing documents, that kind of stuff," he said.
   One thing is for sure, though. There is a certain level of danger just thinking about moving to Iraq, a country rife with war and terrorism. Just flying to the area can be something that would keep most people up at night in a cold sweat. This, however, was something he had to put out of his mind.
   "Obviously it’s a concern," he said, "but it’s the kind of thing that you think about a lot until you make your decision. But once you’ve made the decision, it’s sort of a done deal. I’m focused on being wise about my decision, not doing anything stupid like going into dangerous areas. You’re in a war zone, you take whatever precautions you can. I’m not going to stay up all night worrying about things that could happen. I hope my family doesn’t either, though they’re obviously concerned."
   Upon his return to the states after his stint in Iraq, which will take roughly a year, Mr. Kubicki-Mensz plans on attending law school, though where he is not yet sure — a decision he will make in part with his longtime girlfriend and fellow Georgetown graduate Jean Martin, who plans on attending medical school next year.
   Mr. Kubicki-Mensz has begun looking at the application process, though all of that will be on hold for the next year.
   His life in the states has to be put on hold, he said, so that he can see the part of the world that is so prevalent in today’s media and in today’s psyche.
   "The reason why I’m going is a desire to take an active role in world events," he explained. "Sometimes, you get tired of reading the paper and forming opinions based on other people’s opinions. I’m going over there to be better informed about a region of the world that is becoming increasingly important."
   He added, with a laugh, "I’ve never been in this situation before. It’s a little bit of courage mixed with a little bit of insanity."