The Trial of Saddam Hussein and The Fallout of The War

The Trial of Saddam Hussein

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The fallout in the Middle East from the regime change in Iraq

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Witness A and B

Witness A, her voice disguised electronically, gave evidence yesterday in the ongoing trial of Saddam Hussein.

She said that at the age of sixteen, she had been stripped naked in what she called an "operation room" and chained to a table.

She alleges that 5 men beat her with steel cables and gave her electric shocks.

After that she claims that she and the other Dujail families were sent to the desert, where they lived for 4 years.

Quote:

"We lost everything. All my youth is gone. Our future is gone."

However, the senior judge said to her:

"The details you are giving now are different from those you gave when your examination took place."

"This is true," she answered.

The defence note that some of the prosecution witnesses have a financial interest in the case, since they are also looking for financial compensation for what happened to them.

Then the leading defence counsel acting for Saddam Hussein questioned her.

She had been held in Abu Ghraib prison, he said, where he agreed that conditions had been terrible until just recently.

But had dogs been used against her? Were photographs taken of her?

No, she said.

This reminded people of the way that prisoners in Abu Ghraib were treated by their American jailers, after the invasion of Iraq.

There seems to be an almost a wistful, and misplaced, yearning in the minds of some for a return to the days of Saddam.

The next witness, an elderly woman - witness B, went into the curtained booth to give her evidence and had her voice disguised as well.

However, the electronics failed again and she was brought into the middle of the court to speak.

She couldn't be seen and identified, and the sound feed was cut off to the press box.

Other witnesses gave evidence about the 1982 visit by Saddam to the town of Dujail, and the assassination attempt on him was carried out.

Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti interrupted:

"Those people know nothing."

Saddam also interrupted, the judge did not try to stop him:

"Who arrested you?" Saddam asked.

"Men from Intelligence."

"How do you know?"

"They said so."

"What were their names
?"

The witness gave the names.

"Describe them."

The witness proceeded to do it.

"How come you remember all these things".

"This was a great sadness to me. I can't forget a sadness."

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