Saddam Hussein's trial is on hold once again, this time until early next
month.
The Iraqi chief judge in Baghdad adjourned the stormy trial until April 5
after the obstinate former dictator outright refused to answer prosecutors'
questions. Wednesday marked the first time Saddam testified at his trial, and he
did so with fiery political speeches that prompted the chief judge to close the
courtroom, CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports.
Saddam called on Iraqis to stop a bloody wave of sectarian violence and
instead fight American troops. He also encouraged Iraqis to "unite in a jihad
against the occupiers," Logan reports.
Even as the judge repeatedly yelled at him to stop, Saddam read from a
prepared text, insisting he was still Iraq's president.
"Let the (Iraqi) people unite and resist the invaders and their backers.
Don't fight among yourselves," he said, praising the insurgency. "In my eyes,
you are the resistance to the American invasion."
Finally chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman ordered the session to continue in
secret, telling journalists to leave the chamber. The video and audio broadcast
of the trial was cut off. Logan reports the blackout lasted almost two hours and
raised questions about the transparency of the court.
After nearly two hours, reporters were called back into the court. Saddam was
sitting alone in the defendants' pen in front of the judge. The former Iraqi
leader then refused to answer questions from the chief prosecutor, demanding to
see a copy of his testimony given to investigators before the trial began. The
prosecution agreed to the demand and said they would question Saddam in the next
session.
Saddam was the last of the case's eight defendants to be called to testify.
Though he has spoken frequently since the trial began in October, Wednesday's
session was to be the first chance for the judge and prosecutors to directly
question him on charges of killing 148 Shiites and imprisoning and torturing
others during a 1982 crackdown against the Shiite town of Dujail.
Instead, Saddam, dressed in a black suit, read from his statement, insisting
he was Iraq's elected president and calling the trial a "comedy."
He addressed the "great Iraqi people," a phrase he often used in his speeches
as president, and urged them to stop the wave of Shiite-Sunni violence that has
rocked the country since the bombing of a major Shiite shrine last month.
"What pains me most is what I heard recently about something that aims to
harm our people," Saddam said. "My conscience tells me that the great people of
Iraq have nothing to do with these acts," he said referring to the bombing of
the shrine in the city of Samarra.
Abdel-Rahman interrupted saying he was not allowed to give political speeches
in the court.
"I am the head of state," Saddam replied.
"You used to be a head of state. You are a defendant now," Abdel-Rahman said.
The judge repeatedly closed his microphone to prevent his words from being
heard and told him to address the case against him. But Saddam ignored him,
continuing to read from his text.
"What happened in the last days is bad," he said, referring to the recent
violence. "You will live in darkness and rivers of blood for no reason."
"The bloodshed that they (the Americans) have caused to the Iraqi people only
made them more intent and strong to evict the foreigners from their land and
liberate their country," Saddam said.
At one point, Abdel-Rahman screamed at him, "Respect yourself." Saddam
shouted back: "you respect yourself."
"You are being tried in a criminal case for killing innocent people, not
because of your conflict with America," Abdel-Rahman told him. "What about the
innocent people who are dying in Baghdad? I am talking to the Iraqi people,"
Saddam replied.
Finally, Abdel-Rahman ordered the session closed to the public. "The court
has decided to turn this into a secret and closed session," he said.
One of Saddam's lawyers told Logan he has little doubt the court has already
decided Saddam is guilty. "I fully expect him to be dead by the end of the year,
executed by this court in this show trial," he said, adding that Saddam himself
was convinced the court was determined to see him dead and would find him
guilty. "They can kill his body, but not his spirit," Saddam's lawyer said.
The stormy session was a stark contrast to the past three hearings, when each
of Saddam's seven co-defendants has appeared, one by one, and was questioned by
Abdel-Rahman and the chief prosecutor.