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Saddam calls for reconciliation in court
Staff and agencies
07 November, 2006
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN and ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writers 3 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A somber and subdued Saddam Hussein called on Iraqis to "forgive, reconcile and shake hands" as he returned to court Tuesday for his Kurdish genocide trial two days after being sentenced to death in a separate case.
Iran urged Iraq to disregard calls for clemency and hang the ousted president, saying Saddam‘s "very existence is anti-human."
Saddam then calmly spoke about how the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ asked for forgiveness for those who had opposed them.
The former president‘s demeanor was far different from his combative performance Sunday, when another court convicted him in the deaths of about 150 Shiite Muslims following an assassination attempt against him in the town of Dujail in 1982.
On Tuesday, however, Saddam, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, sat quietly along with the six other defendants in the Anfal case, calmly taking notes as four Kurdish witnesses gave their testimony.
However, the remarks followed at least two other public declarations by Saddam in recent weeks in which he urged national unity — perhaps to secure a more favorable place in history or to encourage contacts between the Americans and his supporters.
In a statement Sunday, Saddam urged Iraqis not to "take revenge on the invading nations and their people" and to unite "in the face of sectarian strife."
The death sentence has drawn criticism from European and human rights officials who oppose capital punishment — regardless of the crime.
In Tehran, however, the Iranian government called for the death sentence to be carried out, saying that Saddam was a criminal who deserved to die.
Iran and Iraq waged a bitter eight-year war after Saddam invaded the country in 1980.
On Tuesday, the court heard testimony from survivors of an Aug. 28, 1988 massacre of more than 30 Kurdish men, who had surrendered after hearing that Saddam offered amnesty to Kurdish rebels.
Instead, the witnesses said they were herded together at the base of a hill, where Iraqi soldiers opened fire on them. Only a handful survived.
"When they fired in our direction, we all fell to the ground," Qahar Khalil Mohammed testified. "When I went back, I saw my father and two brothers had been killed, as well as 18 of my relatives."
Mohammed said an Iraqi medical officer used a broken bottle to clean his wound.
Witness Abdul-Karim Nayif said the men had been hiding in caves after an attack on their village near the Turkish border and some had considered suicide.
But they decided instead to surrender after Iraqi officers "swore on the Quran" that Saddam‘s offer of amnesty was genuine, Nayif said.
Another survivor, Abdul-Karim Nayif, submitted a video of a mass grave found near the site of the massacre after Kurds gained self-rule in 1991. The video showed numerous human remains.
Saddam and his cousin "Chemical Ali" al-Majid are charged with genocide in the Anfal case. The other defendants are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. All could be sentenced to death by hanging if convicted.
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Salaheddin reported from Baghdad, and Reid from Amman, Jordan. Some material from a pool report was included.
Staff and agencies
07 November, 2006
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN and ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writers 3 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A somber and subdued Saddam Hussein called on Iraqis to "forgive, reconcile and shake hands" as he returned to court Tuesday for his Kurdish genocide trial two days after being sentenced to death in a separate case.
Iran urged Iraq to disregard calls for clemency and hang the ousted president, saying Saddam‘s "very existence is anti-human."
Saddam then calmly spoke about how the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ asked for forgiveness for those who had opposed them.
The former president‘s demeanor was far different from his combative performance Sunday, when another court convicted him in the deaths of about 150 Shiite Muslims following an assassination attempt against him in the town of Dujail in 1982.
On Tuesday, however, Saddam, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, sat quietly along with the six other defendants in the Anfal case, calmly taking notes as four Kurdish witnesses gave their testimony.
However, the remarks followed at least two other public declarations by Saddam in recent weeks in which he urged national unity — perhaps to secure a more favorable place in history or to encourage contacts between the Americans and his supporters.
In a statement Sunday, Saddam urged Iraqis not to "take revenge on the invading nations and their people" and to unite "in the face of sectarian strife."
The death sentence has drawn criticism from European and human rights officials who oppose capital punishment — regardless of the crime.
In Tehran, however, the Iranian government called for the death sentence to be carried out, saying that Saddam was a criminal who deserved to die.
Iran and Iraq waged a bitter eight-year war after Saddam invaded the country in 1980.
On Tuesday, the court heard testimony from survivors of an Aug. 28, 1988 massacre of more than 30 Kurdish men, who had surrendered after hearing that Saddam offered amnesty to Kurdish rebels.
Instead, the witnesses said they were herded together at the base of a hill, where Iraqi soldiers opened fire on them. Only a handful survived.
"When they fired in our direction, we all fell to the ground," Qahar Khalil Mohammed testified. "When I went back, I saw my father and two brothers had been killed, as well as 18 of my relatives."
Mohammed said an Iraqi medical officer used a broken bottle to clean his wound.
Witness Abdul-Karim Nayif said the men had been hiding in caves after an attack on their village near the Turkish border and some had considered suicide.
But they decided instead to surrender after Iraqi officers "swore on the Quran" that Saddam‘s offer of amnesty was genuine, Nayif said.
Another survivor, Abdul-Karim Nayif, submitted a video of a mass grave found near the site of the massacre after Kurds gained self-rule in 1991. The video showed numerous human remains.
Saddam and his cousin "Chemical Ali" al-Majid are charged with genocide in the Anfal case. The other defendants are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. All could be sentenced to death by hanging if convicted.
___
Salaheddin reported from Baghdad, and Reid from Amman, Jordan. Some material from a pool report was included.
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