Saddam Prosecutors Call For Death Penalty
Nji Che - All Headline News Staff Writer Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - The trial of deposed former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein continued on Monday with prosecutors calling for the heaviest possible penalty. Lawyers said Saddam's half-brother and intelligence chief tortured prisoners and sent others to die in the desert. A lawyer for victims of a 1982 crackdown against Shi'ites told the court, "We demand the court inflict the utmost punishments and also demand the financial and moral compensation for our clients for the damage they received." The statement came as prosecutors began their closing remarks in the long running trial. Saddam, his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barzan al-Tikriti and the six other defendants will face death by hanging if found guilty. They are charged with the slaying of 148 Shi'ites in Dujail during a 1982 crackdown against Shi'ites. The crackdown was launched after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Saddam. He has defended himself saying he was President at the time of the crackdown, and he was also faced with war against Iran. The court will listen to the final defense remarks on July 10. A five-man jury shall meet to pass the court's verdict. The lawyers for the Dujail victims preferred to remain anonymous, saying they feared for their lives. The trial has been marred by the slaying of two defense lawyers, the resignation of a judge and continuous threats on prosecutors from |
