Regards, Ivan
Posted on 02/19/2005 4:22:31 PM PST by MadIvan
The massacre in a Shia village whose residents had tried to assassinate Saddam Hussein will take centre stage in one of the first trials of the dictator's henchmen.
Residents of Dujail, a small farming settlement 40 miles north of Baghdad, plan to testify that their village was singled out for slaughter by Saddam's half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, in revenge for a brazen attack that nearly killed the dictator in 1982.
The reprisals, in which more than 900 people were rounded up and tortured, are described by survivors as the "forgotten Halabja", a reference to the Kurdish village where 5,000 people died in a gas attack six years later.
Nearly 400 of those arrested in Dujail are believed to have been murdered, including many women and children. Among those never seen again were at least six babies, one just born.
Survivors of the massacre, including members of the original assassination squad, have been asked to give evidence. Barzan al-Tikriti, a former head of Saddam's special intelligence service, is likely to be among the first of the dictator's former lieutenants to go on trial, along with the deposed president's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali".
Hearings are due to begin within weeks and full trials are expected a few months later. Lawyers from the Baghdad-based tribunal hearing the cases have already been to Dujail to gather statements.
The case has a powerful resonance for many important figures in the current Iraqi administration. Al-Tikriti is the man the current prime minister, Ayad Allawi, named in The Sunday Telegraph last year as the mastermind of an assassination attempt against him in London in 1978.
Those who carried out the attempt were all members of the Dawa Party, whose leader, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, is tipped to become Iraq's new prime minister.
Dujail is now the focus of insurgents linked to the old Ba'athist regime, but villagers speak proudly of the attempt on Saddam's life and are eager to help convict his half-brother. One attacker, Sheikh Faris al-Dujaili, 42, said: "We knew that even though [Saddam] would be hard to kill, the attempt would humiliate him and let the world know there was an opposition group inside Iraq."
Tipped off that Saddam's heavily guarded convoy was visiting the area, a band of locals set up an ambush on a country road.
"We shot at the convoy and killed many of Saddam's guards, but his car was armoured and we couldn't get to him," said Mr Dujaili. "Eight of our cell members were killed and the rest of us fled. I hid in the fields for five days, surviving on tomatoes and fruit from the fields."
The attack terrified Saddam, who cut back on public engagements and began using body-doubles. Within hours, al-Tikriti and others are said to have began bulldozing and torching the area and arresting people.
Among those held was Jassem Hatou, 73, who lost three of his sons, including Abbas, a ringleader, and who was jailed for four years. "I was dragged to a local Ba'ath party headquarters, where I saw Barzan interrogating people," he said. "They brought in three dead fighters and asked me if one was my son. They weren't.
"But then they brought in more, including one I recognised as Abbas. At that point I almost lost consciousness. I was then tortured with electric cables. Until now, I have not been able to rest. I will do my best to attend the tribunal of Barzan and Saddam so that I can finally see justice done."
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
"We knew that even though [Saddam] would be hard to kill, the attempt would humiliate him and let the world know there was an opposition group inside Iraq."
Brave souls
But hasn't our press made it sound as if Abu Grahib was worst than this?
Lidice.
Well now. Payback is a b*tch, no?
Bump for read tomorrow. Thanks.
Hi Ivan,
How about we invest in some rope stocks in Iraq? haha.
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