The chief judge in Saddam Hussein’s trial today brushed aside prosecution demands to step down for letting the ex-president make political statements, as more witnesses told of chemical attacks against Kurds – a charge for which the ex-president could receive a death sentence.

The chief prosecutor in Saddam Hussein’s genocide trial against the Kurds today demanded the presiding judge step down, accusing him of being biased toward the deposed leader and his co-defendants.