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Saddam Hussein boycotts trial

Atul Aneja

DUBAI: The former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, boycotted Wednesday's session of his trial where he and his seven co-defendants have been accused of crimes against humanity.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hussein complained about the conditions in which he was being held and the manner in which the trial was being conducted. Unwilling to make appearances on consecutive days, Mr. Hussein told the panel of judges that because of the court schedules he was unable to change his clothes or take a shower. He asked chief judge Rizgar Amin, whether his intention was to exhaust the defendants at the trial.

But when his plea went unheeded, the former President told the judges to "go to hell" and vowed not to return to an "unjust court." Mr. Hussein reportedly spent a large part of the day closeted with his lawyers.

Court proceedings were consequently delayed, but the chief judge decided to go ahead with the session after holding extended consultations with the defence attorneys.

Mr. Hussein's seven co-defendants then returned to the court, and proceeding began after a new witness was called. The chair, which the former President has been occupying, was conspicuously empty.

The trial revolves around the alleged killing of 148 persons from the village of Dujail, following a failed assassination attempt on Mr. Hussein's life in 1982. Despite the graphic testimonies of torture and abuse, observers have questioned the strength of the Dujail case. None of the witnesses, for instance, has been able to pin specific responsibility on any of defendants for the atrocities that were allegedly committed. The United Nations' human rights head in Iraq has said he did not envisage the trial meeting international standards.

Legal experts have also expressed concerns about witness protection and security of the defence lawyers.

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