Iraq: They would take one of us away and he'd return in a sheet, dripping in blood (Inspiring story)

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | December 22, 2005 | Adrian Blomfield

[Stoat]

They would take one of us away and he'd return in a sheet, dripping in blood
(Filed: 22/12/2005)

A brave Iraqi takes the stand and tells how seven of his brothers were tortured and killed 'on Saddam's orders'. Adrian Blomfield reports

It was the first time since he went on trial that Saddam Hussein seemed lost for words.

	Ali Hassan al-Haidari braves the courtroom as Saddam listens

Gone were the histrionics and bluster of previous court appearances, when the former dictator upstaged everyone from judge to fellow defendants with his interruptions and grandstanding.

Instead the limelight was taken by a softly spoken witness who comported himself in every way Saddam has not since he took to the dock. Ali Hassan al-Haidari was dignified, erudite, compelling - and brave.

While the vast majority of other witnesses have so far chosen - understandably so - to testify behind a curtain, sometimes with their voices distorted, Mr Haidari stood just feet away from the once most feared man in Iraq.

Saddam seemed to shrink beside him. He sucked his glasses, and occasionally took notes. Much of the time he seemed to be doodling. It was as though he could not meet the eyes of his accuser.

Dressed almost identically to Saddam in a brown suit and a white shirt, Mr Haidari recalled the 1982 massacre at Dujail, where Saddam is accused of orchestrating the mass reprisals in retaliation for an alleged attempt on his life. Mr Haidari, who was only 14 at the time, told how he and all 43 members of his family were rounded up and taken to the Ba'ath party headquarters in Dujail.

"I saw my brother being tortured in front of my eyes," he said, looking straight at Saddam. "I was terrified. They would take one of us away and he would return in a sheet, dripping in blood."

Seven of his brothers were executed, he testified. Like so many Iraqis, he has no idea, he said, where they were buried.

The killings at Dujail were by no means the worst of the atrocities that Saddam and his henchmen are alleged to have orchestrated.

In comparison to the massacre of thousands at a time in the Kurdish north or the Shia south, only 147 people were killed. But prosecutors say the evidence in Dujail was easier to compile and have promised that there will be more charges brought against the former president.

Mr Haidari told the court that he was taken to a prison in Baghdad where children even younger than he, some only nine years old, were held in terrible conditions.

Beatings and electric shocks were regularly administered. Some of his fellow prisoners had the skin ripped from their bodies. "I cannot express all that suffering and pain that we suffered in the 70 days inside.''

Only once did Saddam try to interrupt his testimony, demanding to be given a 10-minute recess to pray. The Kurdish judge, Rizgar Amin, refused.

Judging by previous occasions when he did not get his own way, Saddam would have been expected to argue. Instead, he shifted in his seat to face Mecca and prayed, clutching in his hand a Koran.

Why Saddam chose to be so pliant is unclear, but perhaps he realised that the theatrics that served him on previous days would look particularly petulant when compared with the decorum displayed by Mr Haidari.

The more Saddam seemed to shrink, the bolder the witness became. "I hold Saddam responsible for detaining me and my family and ruining my future," he said.

Saddam's half-brother and co-accused showed no such restraint. Barzan al-Tikriti leapt to his feet several times to harangue Mr Haidari, calling him "a dog" and his dead brothers "rotten dog".

After the lunch recess another witness accused Barzan, Saddam's former spy chief, of eating grapes as he was tortured. After repeated beatings, he recalled begging for death. Barzan interjected to deny the accusations, insisting that his hands were ''as clean as Moses''.

Saddam and his co-accused face the death penalty if convicted.

 

8 December 2005: Trial postponed after Saddam stages boycott

7 December 2005: Saddam complains about too few cigarette breaks

 

[Stoat]

The spectacle of this brave Iraqi man standing up to Saddam and his henchmen in court is proof that we are winning this war.   He knows that he no longer needs to fear being fed through a plastic-shredder machine for saying such things.

It will not be long until Iraq is a shining jewel of democracy and capitalism in the Middle East, and the West will have a new friend and trading partner there.  These are such exciting times that we live in....the world is gradually becoming a better and safer place.

(Iraqi girl dreaming of going to school and having a good life in the New Iraq)

 

                                                                                                                (Girl in Nasiriyah)

[AmericaUnited]

Evil propers when good men do nothing.

God bless a GOOD MAN, George W. Bush.

God bless the GOOD MEN of the United States Armed Forces.

[Joe 6-pack]

I'm sure the American press will break this account of the trial over my radio any second now...

[TheDon]

Saddam and his co-accused face the death penalty if convicted.

LOL! More like they will be executed once convicted. The day Saddam assumes room temperature will be a good day, and it cannot come soon enough.

[arthurus]

have promised that there will be more charges brought against the former president.

Is it a good thing to keep the monster alive long enough to try him one by one for each of these things? To ponder...

[Marine_Uncle]

With good fortune..."Saddam's half-brother and co-accused showed no such restraint. Barzan al-Tikriti leapt to his feet several times to harangue Mr Haidari, calling him "a dog" and his dead brothers "rotten dog", took place. Now not only Iraqi of all persuasions but the world can see how Saddamist where nothing more then murderouse attack dogs. Surely even the most screwed up Europeans watching this stuff will see just what kind of goons their countries supported where in control of Iraq.

[Stoat]

God bless the GOOD MEN of the United States Armed Forces.

Agreed on all counts, but I would also wish to include our fine Coalition partners, without which we may not have been able to overthrow the Butcher of Baghdad and bring sunshine to a very dark and evil corner of the world.

[Stoat]

I'm sure the American press will break this account of the trial over my radio any second now...

Yes, I'm guessing that this story will soon be given front-page status, right along with their apologies for their endless and groundless partisan attacks on President Bush.  Don't hold your breath   :-)

[Stoat]

LOL! More like they will be executed once convicted. The day Saddam assumes room temperature will be a good day, and it cannot come soon enough.

The mere fact that our soldiers didn't simply lob a high-quality American-made grenade into his spider hole but brought him out, cleaned him up (on the outside, anyway) and brought him to trial ALIVE is a great illustration of what an honorable and just country the USA is.  Hopefully the Iraqi judges won't be swayed or corrupted by France and other nations who have an interest in having him acquitted.

They should hold a lottery for folks who would like to actually perform the execution....I'm sure that the lines for tickets to pull the trigger would stretch for miles.

[Stoat]

Is it a good thing to keep the monster alive long enough to try him one by one for each of these things? To ponder...

I believe that it will be a very positive step, and will cement the image and focus of the New Iraq in a template of justice and honor....a radical notion in the Middle East.   When Iraqi school children are taught that Iraq believes in justice and the rule of law, even when dealing with such an obviously guilty monster as Saddam, it will inspire them to always choose the path of goodness.

[Fresh Wind]

I'm sure the American press will break this account of the trial over my radio any second now...

Maybe if they have time, but they have to cover the brutal torture of Saddam by the evil Americans first.

[Stoat]

Surely even the most screwed up Europeans watching this stuff will see just what kind of goons their countries supported where in control of Iraq.

I hope that you are correct, but I'm guessing that the truly screwed-up ones will always believe that everything is being artificially orchestrated by the evil hand of the United States because we're only interested in oil and lies.

Many, many stupid commies have grown old and died while still believing that Lenin and Stalin held the true answers to all of life's questions, and that the only reason for their failures was due to interference from those evil Capitalists. 

Some people are simply too far gone to be helped, and although we can try to persuade them we must ultimately stick to the path of righteousness and allow those who refuse to see the obvious truth to be content to stew in their own bile.

[joebuck]

"Barzan al-Tikriti leapt to his feet several times to harangue Mr Haidari, calling him "a dog" and his dead brothers "rotten dog"."

That really showed them. Good tactic. I'm sure everyone was impressed.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I'm sure everyone was impressed."

I was impressed. Haven't seen the likes of a defendant like this since manson!!

[don-o]

Good on ya for this post.

Some opponents of the war bleat that we cannot oust every baddie in the whole wide world. While there is some truth in that, we got one. Thanks be to God and our President and the troops serving under him.

This story is one in a trend of steady progress that we are seeing, even if we have to search them out. The votes, the schools, the infrastructure. The President is doing what needs, nay must be done.

It's going to work. I heard an interview on Sean's show, )did not catch the guest's name, but he was military,) that there are over 200,000 Iraqi in their security forces, and the task now is training men for command. Which does not happen overnight, unlike in the fantasy world of TeeVee and movies, which seems where the critics reside.

Get them squared away, then we can talk about reduction in American forces.

What are thoughts about a permanent American presence there? Would a base or 2 be acceptable to the Iraqis? Would be good to be close by if they needed help in a hurry.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Some people are simply too far gone to be helped, and although we can try to persuade them we must ultimately stick to the path of righteousness and allow those who refuse to see the obvious truth to be content to stew in their own bile."
Very well put indeed.

[Stoat]

Good on ya for this post.

Thank you very much for your kind words  :-)   I'm delighted that you liked the story.

Some opponents of the war bleat that we cannot oust every baddie in the whole wide world. While there is some truth in that, we got one. Thanks be to God and our President and the troops serving under him.

Agreed.  Although nobody is so naive to think that we can excise all evil from the entire planet, the War on Terror is proving that our Coalition forces can do anything that they set about to do.  The only question mark will be public support in Coalition countries.  I think that people will truly appreciate the successes so far when we are able to buy goods marked "Made In Iraq" at the neighborhood store   :-)

This story is one in a trend of steady progress that we are seeing, even if we have to search them out. The votes, the schools, the infrastructure. The President is doing what needs, nay must be done.

Yes, it's a shame that the MSM is so reticent to report on the positive things, but they (the MSM) are rapidly becoming irrelevant anyway.

It's going to work. I heard an interview on Sean's show, )did not catch the guest's name, but he was military,) that there are over 200,000 Iraqi in their security forces, and the task now is training men for command. Which does not happen overnight, unlike in the fantasy world of TeeVee and movies, which seems where the critics reside.

An unfortunate byproduct of the TV 'culture' is an insistence upon instant gratification, which is rarely possible in real life.  Our President's approval numbers as well as approval numbers for the war in Iraq have improved after his recent speeches, so we have apparently found a way to get around the media blackout on good news.

Get them squared away, then we can talk about reduction in American forces.

Agreed.  Any force reduction done too quickly will send the wrong message to the Iraqis as well as all other people suffering under the bootheel of an evil regime....when we ask in the future, "would you like us to come in and liberate you from your oppressive government?" they might say "no thanks, we remember Iraq" if we pull out too soon.

What are thoughts about a permanent American presence there? Would a base or 2 be acceptable to the Iraqis? Would be good to be close by if they needed help in a hurry.

I would have no problems with that.  It certainly worked well in Germany, at least until the past few years when they moved so very far to the Left.  Despite what the MSM is telling us, I believe that the Iraqis would welcome a small, permanent presence of the Coalition forces.  I think it would be comforting to them as well as providing a 'foot in the door' for us in the event of future problems in the region.

Good on ya for this post.

Thank you very much for your kind words  :-)   I'm delighted that you liked the story.

Some opponents of the war bleat that we cannot oust every baddie in the whole wide world. While there is some truth in that, we got one. Thanks be to God and our President and the troops serving under him.

Agreed.  Although nobody is so naive to think that we can excise all evil from the entire planet, the War on Terror is proving that our Coalition forces can do anything that they set about to do.  The only question mark will be public support in Coalition countries.  I think that people will truly appreciate the successes so far when we are able to buy goods marked "Made In Iraq" at the neighborhood store   :-)

This story is one in a trend of steady progress that we are seeing, even if we have to search them out. The votes, the schools, the infrastructure. The President is doing what needs, nay must be done.

Yes, it's a shame that the MSM is so reticent to report on the positive things, but they (the MSM) are rapidly becoming irrelevant anyway.

It's going to work. I heard an interview on Sean's show, )did not catch the guest's name, but he was military,) that there are over 200,000 Iraqi in their security forces, and the task now is training men for command. Which does not happen overnight, unlike in the fantasy world of TeeVee and movies, which seems where the critics reside.

An unfortunate byproduct of the TV 'culture' is an insistence upon instant gratification, which is rarely possible in real life.  Our President's approval numbers as well as approval numbers for the war in Iraq have improved after his recent speeches, so we have apparently found a way to get around the media blackout on good news.

Get them squared away, then we can talk about reduction in American forces.

Agreed.  Any force reduction done too quickly will send the wrong message to the Iraqis as well as all other people suffering under the bootheel of an evil regime....when we ask in the future, "would you like us to come in and liberate you from your oppressive government?" they might say "no thanks, we remember Iraq" if we pull out too soon.

What are thoughts about a permanent American presence there? Would a base or 2 be acceptable to the Iraqis? Would be good to be close by if they needed help in a hurry.

I would have no problems with that.  It certainly worked well in Germany, at least until the past few years when they moved so very far to the Left.  Despite what the MSM is telling us, I believe that the Iraqis would welcome a small, permanent presence of the Coalition forces.  I think it would be comforting to them as well as providing a 'foot in the door' for us in the event of future problems in the region.

[Stoat]

Very well put indeed.

Thank you for your kind words   :-)

[Marine_Uncle]

"Thank you for your kind words :-)"
Thanks for the words of wisdom.