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Saddam Trial Resumes After Tuesday's Daylong Session

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 December 2005, 09:00 CST

Saddam trial resumes after Tuesday's daylong session

BAGHDAD, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will continue on Wednesday after Tuesday's daylong session with five witnesses giving testimony of torture and Saddam repeatedly staging confrontations with the court.

Two more "complainants" will testify during the initial phase of the trial, the Kurdish presiding judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin said after hearing five witnesses on Tuesday.

The trials are dedicated to hearing the case against Saddam and seven codefendants over the massacre of nearly 150 Shiite villagers in the early 1980s.

With only two witnesses to appear, Wednesday's hearing is likely to be a short session, after which the trial is expected to be adjourned for at least several weeks to make way for the country's legislative elections set for Dec. 15.

During Tuesday's session, witnesses testified behind a screen with voices disguised to protect their identities.

All the defendants denied murder charges over the killing of Shiite Muslims in Dujail, north of Baghdad in 1982. The killing followed an attempt on Saddam Hussein's life. They could face the death penalty if convicted.

After the hearing, the judge said the session would continue Wednesday. Saddam shouted: "I will not return. I will not come to an unjust court. Go to Hell."

Saddam harangued Amin, accusing him of being taken in by American theatrics and criticizing him for not being more concerned with the detention conditions of defendants. He also derided witnesses as "collaborators."

Tuesday's court proceeding resumed after three adjournments since the trial started on Oct. 19.

On Monday, two witnesses testified before the court to give accounts of the 1982 killings.

Earlier on Monday, the trial was suspended for more than an hour because of a walkout by defense lawyers disputing the legitimacy of the court and demanding extra security.

Two defense lawyers have been shot dead in recent weeks.

One defense lawyer, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, said unless the trial was seen as "absolutely fair," it would "divide rather than reconcile Iraq."

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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