Defence presents witnesses in Saddam trial

The defence presented witnesses today in the Baghdad trial of Saddam Hussein and former members of his regime, after the judge formally charged them with crimes against humanity that carry a possible death penalty.

Only three lower-level defendants were in the court – Abdullah Kazim al-Ruwayyid, his son Mizhar and Mohammed Azzawi – as the first witness took the stand, testifying from behind a curtain to protect his identity.

Under the Iraqi system, the announcement of charges against Saddam and his seven co-defendants effectively puts the burden of proof on the defence to dismiss the accusations, bringing the seven-month trial to a new, intense level.

Chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman presented the charges yesterday after months of hearing prosecution witnesses describe torture at the hands of Saddam’s intelligence agents and documents allegedly tying the Iraqi leader to a crackdown against Shiites in the 1980s.