|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Saddam Hussein launched into an extended outburst at his trial Wednesday, alleging he had been beaten and tortured by his Americans captors while in detention after a witness testified that his agents had tortured people by ripping off their skin.
Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mousawi said he would investigate and that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred to the custody of Iraqi troops. "I want to say here, yes, we have been beaten by the Americans and we have been tortured," Saddam said, before gesturing to his seven co-defendants around him, "one by one."
After sitting quietly through several hours of testimony, Saddam said he'd been beaten "everywhere on my body. The marks are still there."
Saddam and his co-defendants are on trial in the deaths of more than 140 Shiites following a 1982 assassination attempt against him in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad.
Standing in the fenced-in defendant's area, Saddam complained at length about the conditions of his detention, engaging in a debate with al-Mousawi. Some of the exchange was edited out of the televised feed of the trial, which later adjourned until Thursday.
Saddam also told the court that he knew the name of the person who betrayed his hiding place when U.S. forces found him in December 2003.
Earlier, Saddam was composed as a witness testified that his regime killed and tortured people by administering electric shocks and ripping off their skin after pouring molten plastic on it.
Two weeks ago, Saddam had called the court "unjust" and boycotted a session.
Ali Hassan Mohammed al-Haidari was the prosecution's first witness Wednesday, testifying about killings and torture in Dujail after the attempt to assassinate Saddam.
Al-Haidari, who was 14 in 1982, started off by quoting from the Quran, the Islamic holy book, about how evil would be defeated.
The judge, in an apparent early bid to take control of a courtroom that has often been unruly, told the witness to address the court and not Saddam directly.
Al-Haidari, whose brother was the trial's first witness, testified that seven of his brothers were executed by Saddam's regime and their bodies have not been found.
Al-Haidari said that he and other Dujail residents — including relatives — were taken to Baghdad and thrown into a security services prison, where people from "9 to 90" were held.
Blood poured from head wounds and skin was pale from electric shocks, he testified. Security officials would drip melted plastic hoses on detainees, only to pull it off after it cooled, tearing skin off with it, he said.
"I cannot express all that suffering and pain we faced in the 70 days inside," he said.
After a recess, another witness took the stand — the first of four the judge said would testify from behind a curtain Wednesday.
During previous sessions, Saddam has been defiant and combative, often trying to dominate the courtroom.
The deposed president had refused to attend the previous session on Dec. 7. "I will not come to an unjust court! Go to hell!" he said in an outburst in court a day earlier.
On Wednesday, his behavior was initially calmer, and he appeared clean-shaven and in fresh clothes, wearing a dark suit but no tie. At previous sessions, Saddam has appeared disheveled and has complained about being held in unsanitary conditions. After greeting the court with a traditional "Peace be upon you," he sat quietly in the defendants' area and appeared to pay close attention to the proceedings, at times taking notes.
Later on, Saddam, interrupting al-Haidari, asked the judge if the court could take a break for prayer. Though the witness agreed, the judge ordered the trial to continue. About 10 minutes later, Saddam swung his chair to the left, closed his eyes and repeatedly bowed his head in what appeared to be about a minute-long prayer, the first time he has done that in court.
Attorneys for Coleman, 55, had fought the charge, which carries mandatory jail time and was based on a breath test that found she had a blood alcohol level of 0.271 percent — more than three times the legal limit for driving of 0.08 percent.
Mayor Michael Coleman, a Democrat, had recently dropped out of the governor's race citing family issues. He accompanied his wife to the court appearance.
Judge Scott D. VanDerKarr suspended 174 days of a 180-day jail sentence and gave her three days credit for a treatment program. He also fined her $250 and suspended her driver's license for six months.
"In any high-test case, this is a fairly standard sentence," City Prosecutor Stephen McIntosh said.
Earlier this month, VanDerKarr had turned down defense attorneys' challenge of the police officer's certification to administer the breath test.
Frankie Coleman had previously pleaded guilty to a lesser drunken driving charge stemming from the same accident. The lesser charge would not have required jail time.
She is required to complete her sentence by March 24.
A message was left Wednesday seeking comment from Frankie Coleman's attorney Mark Serrott. | 
