JURIST - Paper Chase: Saddam defense calls for judge to be sacked

[JURIST] Defense lawyers for Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] have vowed to continue a boycott [JURIST report] of the former Iraqi leader's trial [JURIST news archive] unless the judge presiding over the trial is removed, one of the defense lawyers said Tuesday. Saleh al-Armuti, one of four defense lawyers representing Hussein, challenged the authority of newly-appointed chief judge Ra'uf Rasheed Abdel Rahman [Aljazeera profile] and said that the defense team would not attend a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Hussein's trial collapsed into confusion [JURIST report] Sunday, resulting in several defendants, including Hussein and his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti, being removed from the court, and other defendants and defense lawyers walking out of the proceedings. Abdel Rahman has brought a stricter approach to proceedings, vowing to prevent outbursts by defendants and to speed up the trial. Defense lawyers have also called for an apology [Reuters report] from Abdel Rahman before they will return. AFP has more.

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