Saddam trial hears defence testimony

Saddam and his chief lieutenants were not in the chamber and only the more minor of the seven accused were present while their defence witnesses took the stand behind a curtain and maintained the innocence of the defendants.

The day earlier, Judge Rauf Abdel Rahman read out the official charges against all the defendants, which included murder, torture and the execution of minors, marking the end of the initial phase of the trial and the beginning of the defence phase. As the trial began Tuesday, Najib al-Nuaimi, one of Saddam's defence lawyers and the former Qatari minister of justice, asked the judge why his client could not be present for the testimony.

"One of the witnesses here may give testimony against our clients and they should be here and we should be here to defend them," he said.

The judge replied that they would just listen to witnesses for these defendants initially and there was no need for the other defendants.