Saddam says tortured and beaten by Americans

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LON158444.htm

Saddam says tortured and beaten by Americans


BAGHDAD, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein said on Wednesday he had been beaten and tortured while in U.S. custody and still had the marks on his body.

"I have been hit by the Americans and tortured," he said during his trial on charges of crimes against humanity. "I have been beaten on every place of my body, and the signs are all over my body."

[hlthe2b]

1. probably was, but I hardly think this is going to benefit him...

I don't condone torture on anyone, but how will his accusation help him?

[Jed Dilligan]

3. Why would he need to expect it to help him

in order to do it? He knows that his execution is a foregone conclusion, so of course he will use the trial to do as much damage as possible before he goes.

[hlthe2b]

5. sure.. but he wants to rankle and elicit sympathy...

and I'm not sure this will do the latter, or even the former, given the arrogance of this administration.

[daleo]

12. If the police in an old fashioned U.S. court beat and tortured someone

The case may well have been thrown out, assuming the torture could be proven ("cruel and unusual punishment"). I think that is generally the case in countries with a functioning and civilized legal system.

I say "an old fashioned U.S. court" because I don't know if this reasoning would apply since Bush began perverting and overthrowing the U.S. Constitution.

[hlthe2b]

17. No one, even the Iraqis view this as a true and just trial...

We have truly sold out our legitimacy before the world....

[daleo]

29. You're right about that. n/t

[TheFarseer]

2. Both are liars

I have no idea who to believe, but I'm hardly outraged if he was slapped around a bit.

[WhiteTara]

9. I am always outraged when someone

"gets slapped around a bit" Torture is never justified. It dehumanizes the torturer and the tortured.

[saigon68]

14. I AGREE WITH YOU

This type of Conduct differs little if committed by either THUG TROOPS or THUG COPS.
LIKE THE ONES WHO TUNED UP RODNEY KING BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK

Apparently today, it's easy to beat an "unworthy" minority to death

[WhiteTara]

19. thanks saigon

sometimes I'm afraid that I'll be flamed for my pacifist lifestyle. (But I say it anyway of course)

[geek tragedy]

33. Do you find Saddam more credible than American soldiers? eom

[0007]

34. Saddam was very credible when he said he didn't have WMD's

Yes, Saddam is more credible than Rumsfeld, that said he knew where the WMD's were. Don't you agree? Rumsfeld does represent the American soldier, eh?

[geek tragedy]

35. I guess if Saddam says so, it must be true. eom

[GatoLover]

44. Isn't the problem that he WASN'T credible

enough at the time? :-)

[Kralizec]

22. Agreed. No matter how many others lose their Humanity, we must

fight as hard as we can to preserve our own.

edit: mispelling

[distantearlywarning]

4. I don't think we should be torturing or beating anyone

Even Saddam Hussein.

That being said, however, he's just about the last person on this planet who has the right to complain about that sort of treatment. Talk about someone being a hypocrite... :eyes:

[Demeter]

31. I Might Make An Exception For The BushCo Thugs

Otherwise, I'm fairly pacifist myself--but there are the exceptions to prove any rule.

[GatoLover]

43. Do you think the SadaamCo thugs

rate as an exception? :-)

[Demeter]

45. BushCo are the SaddamCo thugs

They put him in and kept him there

[GatoLover]

47. OK... but, is Sadaam an exception?

eom

[Demeter]

49. Let the Iraqis Decide

It's their injury

[bilgewaterbill]

37. You hit that nail square on the head!

[jaysunb]

6. This is not justified

Saddam was the head of a sovereign nation and deserves to be accorded that protocol.
The invasion of Iraq and the arrest of it's leader was both illegal and immoral. For any person in the civilized world to condone or wink at this is to become exactly what Saddam is accused of.

For people on a liberal message board to even hint at it's justification is hypocritical to say the least.

Flame away.....

[Roaming]

7. And we should believe him why? /nt

[WhiteTara]

10. he didn't lie about his WMDs...he said

there were none. That's a start...he let them blow up his last remaining weapons of any kind...that's another point.

[NYC Liberal]

13. It's funny how even though we have proven that the WMDs were

destroyed, they still like to say he 'lied' about them.

[WhiteTara]

20. yeah, well if they didn't they would have to

admit that they were wrong and they lied.

[hughee99]

23. He also says that he hasn't done anything illegal

and that he is the rightful leader of Iraq. If we're going to take his word for it, we might as well dismiss the charges and give him his country back. I'm not saying that he was or wasn't tortured but IMHO, Saddam certainly has a reason to lie about this, and has no more credibility that the government (which is to say that neither of them has very much).

[NYC Liberal]

11. We can't believe either side in this mess!

Thanks, Bush...you've really brought trust to our government!

[Roaming]

8. Why should we take anything this POS says seriously?

[Bridget Burke]

15. I'm sure you take other POS's seriously.....

Why single out this one?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. Because he's been proven to be a lot more credible than.....

...ANY NeoCon POS. Does that answer your question?

[Voltaire99]

40. Abu Ghraib. Gitmo. Secret prisons.

For starters.

[bif]

16. The judge also said

That if it's true, he'd be transferred into the custody of Iraqi forces. That will just about guarantee he'll be killed.

[occuserpens]

21. Americans tortured me - Saddam

Was Hussein tortured?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4550314.stm
http://inplainview.monitor.us.tt/comm.ME.htm

[baldguy]

24. If Abu Ghraib had never happened, this accusation would be ridiculous.

But Abu Ghraib did happen, so it's all too plausible.

[occuserpens]

25. It is too easy to check...

[baldguy]

26. THe average Akbar Q Public in the ME won't check - and won't care.

All they'll hear is that America is torturing Saddam. Most will have the same sediment expressed here - that NOBODY should be tortured.

[DemonFighterLives]

27. This trial should be transferred to the Hague

It would give the US an out and the Iraqi's don't have to kill him. Saddam can have a fair trial and all evidence can be presented and hopefully Saddam will have his say about poprumshrub.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

28. Well I believe that is the accepted protocol,

so why isn't he in the Hague?

[daleo]

30. Bush et al (and the Reagan memory) have too much to lose

Things could get out of control.

[baldguy]

32. Because he was removed from power illegally.

[DemonFighterLives]

41. It is much like Daleo said

The Reagan legacy and poppy and rummy have too much to lose. The US helped Saddam to power and helped him develop weapons and were more than happy to ride the fence if Iraq/Iran wanted to fight.
The UN and Hague are not showing any power.

[Voltaire99]

38. Agreed. (nt)

[Mz Pip]

36. Bullshit

Saddam is a drama queen. I doubt he's been tortured. With all the human rights groups watching this even if we wanted to we wouldn't be stupid enough to do it.

He could have dropped his drawers to offer proof but he didn't.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[DemonFighterLives]

42. Saddam is what he is

but you cannot ignore the fact that the U.S. killed his sons and tortured and killed many in Iraq. It was not some frat prank.
If you take the stories of people shuffled off to secret prisons, injections are part of the mix.
I don't really doubt that Saddam has been roughed up and injected with all sorts of stuff. The U.S. in the past would have held him in protective custody until he recieved a fair trial. This bunch?-all bets are off.
I'm sure if anyone is interested, they can find out if indeed he is being beaten or whatever. The interest is more in doing away with him.

[Voltaire99]

39. When you invade and kill +100,000 people and commit wanton torture...

...it becomes very possible to believe that, yes, you tortured Saddam Hussein.

All of which reduces you to the level of a Saddam Hussein.

Congratulations.

[GatoLover]

46. I don't believe him

He's running for President of Iraq!

[Endangered Specie]

48. Poetic justice?

:shrug: