Saddam Hussein has told his trial in Baghdad that he had been beaten and tortured while in US custody and still had the marks on his body.
His trial for crimes against humanity resumed in Baghdad today. The deposed Iraqi leader appeared in the dock despite having boycotted the previous session.
Saddam and seven co-defendants are accused of ordering the killings of 148 people in Dujail in 1982.
The first witness called today gave his name as Ali Hassan al-Haidari, and he said he was 14 at the time of the Dujail killings.
He told the court that his brother was executed under Saddam and that his family had been rounded up after the killings.
Mr Haidari said he saw nine corpses lying outside Saddam’s Baath Party headquarters in Dujail. He also said he witnessed torture at the headquarters of Saddam’s intelligence service in Baghdad.
Eight witnesses have already testified at the Baghdad trial, but Mr Haidari was the first to do so in the open. The other witnesses testified from behind a curtain.
The trial is likely to be further adjourned this week until mid-January.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people loyal to Saddam rallied in his hometown of Tikrit today.
'Saddam, your name makes America tremble,' demonstrators shouted as they marched along heavily policed streets.
Iraq election
Provisional returns from last week's election in Iraq show that up to 70% of the country's voters took part.
Iraq's Electoral Commission said almost 11 million people cast their votes - a much higher figure than the 58% who participated in January's ballot and the 64% seen for the constitutional referendum held in October.
