Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has ended his hunger strike for "health reasons", his chief lawyer Khalil Dulaimi said on Monday. "The president maintained his hunger strike for 11 days but was forced to end it for health reasons," Dulaimi told Reuters. Saddam opened the hunger strike to protest against his court proceedings.
According to Dulaimi, American prison officials intervened with defense lawyers to end Saddam's strike to "prevent any adverse health impact," adding that the former leader had lost some weight but did not elaborate.
Dulaimi said he found Saddam in "high morale" during the time he spent with him on Sunday. "I met with my client for seven hours on Sunday. At our request he had earlier ended the hunger strike he had been on for 11 days and he has lost four to five kilos," Dulaimi said. "He is doing okay."
