BAGHDAD, Iraq
(AP) — Saddam Hussein told the judge at his trial
Monday that "I am not afraid of execution" during an
unruly session in which the first witness took the
stand and testified that the former president's
agents carried out random arrests, torture and
killings.
The outburst was one of several by Saddam or his
co-defendants during the session that also saw a
brief walkout by his defense lawyers.
Following the witness' testimony, Saddam defended
his actions and told the court that he understood
the pressures upon it in his trial. He and his seven
co-defendants could be executed if convicted on the
charges stemming from the deaths of more than 140
Shiites in 1982. |
Former dictator Saddam Hussein
Photo : AFP
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"When I speak, I speak like your brother — your
brother in Iraq and your brother in the nation," he
said, addressing the witness, Ahmed Hassan Mohammed.
"I am not afraid of execution. I realize there is
pressure on you and I regret that I have to confront
one of my sons. But I'm not doing it for myself. I'm
doing it for Iraq. I'm not defending myself. But I
am defending you."
Addressing the court in general, he added: "I want
you to be the shooters and the swords against the
enemy army."
When witness Ahmed Hassan Mohammed spoke, Saddam
told him: "Do not interrupt me, son."
"If it's ever established that Saddam Hussein laid a
hand on any Iraqi, then everything that witness said
is correct," he said.
He also told the court that he "would like (the
witness) to be examined by an independent medical
institution."
AP
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