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Saddam thinner, combative

BAGHDAD: A thinner but combative Saddam Hussein told the court on Wednesday he would prefer to die by firing squad rather than hang ``like a common criminal,'' as the defiant ex-President made his final scheduled appearance before the tribunal until it renders a verdict. The prosecution has asked for the death penalty for Mr. Hussein and two of the other seven defendants for their role in the deaths of Shia Muslims in a crackdown following a 1982 assassination attempt against the Iraqi ruler in Dujail. Mr. Hussein, dressed in a white, open collar shirt and dark jacket, appeared to hear his court-appointed attorney read a final summation, arguing that prosecution witnesses and documents failed to link him to any of the atrocities in Dujail. Mr. Hussein said he was brought by the Americans against his will from a hospital, where he was rushed on Sunday on the 17th day of a hunger strike and fed through a tube. Despite more than two weeks without food, he seemed no less vigorous, though he appeared to have lost some weight.

AP

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