Baghdad: Saddam Hussain and the seven co-defendants in his trial are to start a hunger strike on Monday, the former Iraqi president's defence team said on Sunday, citing sources inside the detention centre where they are being held.
"Saddam and his followers will start a hunger strike from tomorrow, protesting the illegitimate procedures and bad treatment by the court," Khamis Al Aubeidi, a leading member of Saddam's defence team, told reporters.
Saddam's troubled trial moves to a crucial stage on Monday with testimony expected from former regime figures and the presentation of documents allegedly pointing to the ousted ruler's knowledge of the torture and execution of Shiite Muslims.
But the proceedings are likely to take place with neither the eight defendants nor the lawyers they retained in the courtroom, which was likely to fuel concerns about the legitimacy of the tribunal and its eventual verdict.
Twenty-six prosecution witnesses have testified since the trial began October 19, many providing heart-wrenching accounts of torture and imprisonment but none directly linking Saddam to their ordeal.
Court officials said witnesses expected in the coming days would include former regime officials, whose testimony would attempt to "connect the dots" to establish a clear chain of command from the security officials who carried out torture and executions to Saddam.
The officials would not identify the witnesses, so it was impossible to determine whether their evidence will live up to its billing. The officials did say, however, that the witnesses were not offered immunity in exchange for their testimony.
Prosecutors also were expected to submit the first of hundreds of documents that are expected to implicate Saddam in every step of the investigation, torture and death of the Shiites.
The documents include some in Saddam's own handwriting, according to legal experts familiar with the case.
