Two former aides to Hussein told the court today they had been forced to appear as witnesses. Former foreign intelligence chief Hassan al-Obeidi and onetime presidential office head Ahmed Khudayir said they did not want to testify.
Hussein, who refused to attend the last two sessions of the trial, entered the courtroom today shouting, "Down with [U.S. President George W.] Bush."
The former Iraqi leader and seven codefendants face charges over the 1982 killing of 148 people in the village of Al-Dujayl.
The trial is due to resume tomorrow.
(Reuters)
The Tragedy At Al-Dujayl
A protester in Baghdad carries a picture of a relative killed at Al-Dujayl (AFP file photo)
READ
Former Iraqi dictator SADDAM HUSSEIN and seven of his associates went on trial on October 19, 2005, on charges of crimes against humanity for the regime's role in the deaths of 148 residents from the town of Al-Dujayl, and the imprisonment of 1,500 others following a botched assassination attempt against Hussein there on July 8, 1982. Following the arrests and deportations, the regime leveled the town... (more)See also:
Al-Dujayl Native Tells Her Story
Al-Dujayl Survivor Says 'We Want The Deserved Punishment For The Guilty
