Witness Recounts Torture by Saddam Regime

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saddam_trial

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A witness testified Wednesday at Saddam Hussein's trial that the deposed leader's regime killed and tortured people by administering electric shocks and ripping off their skin after pouring molten plastic on it.

Unlike previous sessions that were marked by his outbursts, Saddam sat quietly in his defendant's chair, two weeks after he called the court "unjust" and boycotted a session. When the judge refused to let him take a break to pray, the former leader closed his eyes and appeared to pray from his seat.

Saddam and seven 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.

The prosecution's first witness Wednesday was a man who testified about killings and torture in Dujail after the attempt to assassinate Saddam. Ali Hassan Mohammed al-Haidari, who was 14 in 1982, started off by quoting from the Quran, the Islamic holy book, about how evil would be defeated.


... I wonder if the US abu ghraib torturers reused the electric shocks?

[WhiteTara]

1. what I like about their witnesses is that

they are covered up by a curtain, so even the jury can't see if they are lying or telling the truth. Yep, they have that fair judicial process going on there...

[zbdent]

2. The US forces use the same torture tactics, probably, but use Rush's

description - "Waxing their legs . . ."

[Javaman]

3. Was this guy an actual witness this time?

Not defending Saddam, but it has appeared that all the witnesses up to this point all have been witnesses by association. Not actually seeing the crimes committed. There are 25 million people in that country and this is the best they can do?