Saddam refuses to attend genocide trial

Saddam Hussein today told the judge in his genocide trial that he no longer wants to attend the hearings and that he was ready to face the consequences.

In a hand-written Arabic statement, the toppled Iraqi leader cited what he claimed were repeated “insults” by the chief judge, Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, and prosecutors trying him in Baghdad for his role in the 1987-88 military campaign, code-named Operation Anfal.