http://news.netster.com/story.asp?id=D8J221IO0
Saddam, on Hunger Strike, Is Fed With Tube
9:21 PM EST July 24, 2006
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Saddam Hussein was hospitalized Sunday and fed with a tube on the 17th
day of a hunger strike to ensure he was healthy enough to continue with his
trial, the chief prosecutor said. The procedure came as the ex-leader's
troubled trial nears a verdict that could lead to his hanging.
Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said he learned that Saddam's health had
become "unstable because of the hunger strike" during a visit to the U.S.-run
prison where the former ruler and his seven fellow defendants are held.
"We took him to the hospital, and he is being currently fed by a tube,"
al-Moussawi told The Associated Press without elaboration.
Al-Moussawi said the feeding tube had stabilized Saddam's health and the
former president would appear in court as scheduled this week. Saddam was not
scheduled to appear Monday when the trial resumes after a two-week break,
because other defendants are to give their final summations.
It appeared that al-Moussawi had become concerned over the impact of
televised pictures of a frail, weakened Saddam appearing in court and decided
to check on the ex-president himself since the Americans were continuing to
insist that a 69-year-old man's health was unaffected despite two weeks without
food.
The hunger strike was launched to demand better security for the defense
team. Three of them have been assassinated since the trial began, most recently
Khamis al-Obeidi, who was abducted and slain June 21.
The defense rejected an offer of the same security provided to the judges
and prosecution lawyers: residence inside the Green Zone, the fortified Baghdad
neighborhood where the court is located. Instead, they wanted bodyguards.
Saddam and the seven others have been on trial since Oct. 19 for the
deaths of Shiite Muslims after a crackdown in the town of Dujail, which was
launched after an assassination attempt there in 1982. They could receive the
death penalty if convicted.
But Saddam's lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi said none of the defendants or
their lawyers would appear Monday unless the court "meets the minimum
requirement ensuring a fair trial for the defendants."
Al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press that Saddam was "in high spirits and
his health very good" despite the hunger strike.
U.S. officials had acknowledged that Saddam and three other detainees
were refusing food since the evening meal of July 7 but were drinking coffee
and sweet tea. The Americans insisted that Saddam was still in good health
despite two weeks without food, and that he had been advised by "medical
professionals" of the dangers of not eating.
A spokesman for the U.S. detention command would not say whether Saddam
had been hospitalized but said he was under medical supervision and was
"voluntarily" taking nutrients through a feeding tube.
"He's continuing to refuse meals," Lt. Col. Keir-Kevin Curry said. "He
remains in coalition care and custody, and we're providing appropriate medical
care."
U.S. officials have not identified the others who were refusing food, but
defense lawyers said they are co-defendants Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half
brother; former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan; and Awad al-Bandar.
The defense team blamed al-Obeidi's killing on Shiite militiamen and
announced it would boycott the trial in protest over the lack of security.
In a letter to the court, the defense said it wanted U.S. authorities to
provide security for the lawyers and their families. It also demanded a 45-day
recess to allow it to prepare closing statements and as much time as they want
to present final arguments.
Chief Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman suspended the proceedings July 11 and
warned that if the defense did not appear Monday, he would appoint other
attorneys to make the final summations.
Al-Bandar and Ramadan were to make final arguments Monday, followed by
Saddam and Barzan. The four other lawyers have already presented their
summations. Following summations, the trial will be suspended while the
five-judge panel deliberates a verdict.
The verdict is expected by mid-August. Saddam is also due to stand trial
Aug. 21 for a crackdown against the Kurds in the 1980s during which an
estimated 100,000 Kurds were killed.
Security had been a contentious issue even before the current trial
began. Some human rights organizations had questioned whether a fair trial
could be held in a country wracked by bombings, killings and armed insurgency _
some of it fanned by the former president's supporters.
U.S. and Iraqi officials brushed off such criticism and insisted that
Saddam should face justice before his own people for the suffering caused by
his totalitarian regime.
But the trial has been dogged by other problems, including boisterous
behavior by Saddam and his half brother. The first chief judge, Rizgar Mohammed
Amin, stepped down in January after complaints of political interference and
criticism that he failed to control the proceedings.
Abdel-Rahman has been strict with the defendants and lawyers, throwing
some of them out of court on occasion and ordering Barzan silenced for speaking
without permission.
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