On anniversary of Saddam's detention, his aides observe hunger strikes, calls for his release

It was announced yesterday that the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his aides started a hunger strike in protest of their detention conditions. However, the American army denied that though it had stressed that some of Saddam's aides refused food, but also denied that Saddam himself is abstaining from taking any kind of food.

The officer in charge of detainees affairs in Baghdad col. Bary Johnson said "it seems that some of the major 11 prisoners refused food though they continue to take light meals and liquids." He added "we try to know from them who among themselves refused the food and why." Johnson stressed replying to reports on that Saddam himself has observed a food strike noting that "such reports are not true.. Saddam had all his meals today ( Sunday) in full."

On the occasion of the first anniversary for detaining Saddam, his defense commission, which takes Amman as a headquarters announced yesterday that his detention was a kidnapping by means of force and similar to tactics used to be used by the German leader Adolf Hitler. The commission called for "immediate" release of Saddam noting that his detention was illegal from the very beginning.