Saddam attends latest session of Baghdad trial

Saddam Hussein shouted his support for Iraqi insurgents, yelling “Long live the mujahedeen” in the latest session of his Baghdad trial today.

His top co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim entered wearing long underwear for the second day to signal his rejection of the court.

The session immediately saw heated exchanges between Saddam and chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman, who rebuked the former Iraqi leader for not standing when he addressed the court.

When the judge banged his gavel, Saddam – dressed in a dark suit – retorted: “Hit your own head with that gavel.”

Ibrahim shouted “Long live the Baath” as he made his entrance to the court. He wore a long-sleeve undershirt and long underwear and carried a small yellow towel and bottle of water.

Ibrahim, Saddam’s half brother and former intelligence chief, wore a similar outfit yesterday when the chief judge forced all eight defendants in the case to attend the session despite a defence boycott.

Ibrahim and Saddam did not mention whether they were attending today’s session against their will.

Saddam and his seven co-defendants are on trial in the killing of nearly 150 Shiite Muslims in Dujail. If convicted, they could face the death penalty by hanging.

Saddam and fellow defendant Awad Hamed al-Bandar said they had not eaten for two days, though they did not clearly say whether they were announcing a hunger strike.

Saddam’s defence team in Jordan said on Sunday that the defendants were going on hunger strike, but later reversed itself and said its information had been incorrect.

The start of yesterday’s session saw similar outbursts by Saddam and Ibrahim, but the tough-minded Abdel-Rahman pressed ahead with the trial.

The prosecution made its strongest attempt yet to link Saddam personally to executions carried out in a crackdown launched in 1982 following an attempt on his life in the Shiite town of Dujail. It produced execution orders with his signatures and put members of his regime on the witness stand for the first time.

Today, the prosecution intended to call more regime figures as witnesses, including Fadel Mohammed, an intelligence official, and Hamed Youssef Hamadi, who was a minister of culture under Saddam.

Saddam Hussein later said in court that he had been on hunger strike for the past three days.