BAGHDAD, Dec 6 (Reuters) The first woman witness today took the stand against Saddam Hussein, hidden behind a high curtain, but problems with equipment intended to distort her voice to protect her identity prompted a brief recess.
Shortly before the judge ordered the break, "Witness A" broke down in tears relating how she had been forced to strip in custody.
Her voice was heavily modified through a computer and Saddam"s defence team complained they could not understand her.
The judge first cut off sound to the public galleries, allowing people in court to hear her voice clearly, then ordered a break to fix the technical problems.
Saddam and seven others are accused of crimes against humanity over the killings of over 140 men from the Shi"ite village of Dujail after a failed assassination atttempt on the then president in 1982.
After the woman began her testimony by reciting a Shi"ite Muslim religious poem, the judge halted her and asked her to keep to the facts.
She said her brother and other family members had been taken away by Saddam"s forces.