JURIST - Paper Chase: Saddam genocide trial adjourned for three weeks

[JURIST] The genocide trial [JURIST news archive] of Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] for allegedly killing 100,000 Kurds in the "Anfal" campaigns [HRW backgrounder] in the late 1980s was adjourned Wednesday just one day after it had resumed [JURIST report]. The trial of Saddam and six co-defendants, including Ali Hassan al-Majid [BBC profile], also known in the Western media as "Chemical Ali", is now scheduled to pick up again November 27. Several of Saddam's defense lawyers continued their boycott of the trial [JURIST report] Wednesday, while prosecutors completed their presentation of four individuals' eyewitness testimony in court. Prosecutors will likely call experts to the stand when the genocide trial resumes in a few weeks, as defense lawyers work to submit their own list of witnesses. AFP has more.

In a separate case and ruling issued Sunday, Saddam was sentenced to death [JURIST report] for crimes against humanity [charging instrument, PDF] committed in the Iraqi town of Dujail [JURIST news archive; BBC trial timeline]. An appeals panel is expected to rule [JURIST report] on Saddam's verdict and sentence by mid-January 2007.

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