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| Judge accused of favouring Saddam | Judge accused of favouring Saddam |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The chief prosecutor in the genocide trial of Saddam Hussein has called for the judge to stand down, saying he is biased towards the former Iraqi leader. | |
| Munqith al-Faroon said defendants had "gone too far", threatening witnesses and making political statements. | Munqith al-Faroon said defendants had "gone too far", threatening witnesses and making political statements. |
| Judge Abdullah al-Amiri rejected the request, saying his approach was based on fairness and 25 years' experience. | Judge Abdullah al-Amiri rejected the request, saying his approach was based on fairness and 25 years' experience. |
| Saddam Hussein and six others are on trial for war crimes against the Kurds during the so-called Anfal campaign. | Saddam Hussein and six others are on trial for war crimes against the Kurds during the so-called Anfal campaign. |
| "Defendants have gone too far, with unacceptable expressions and words. Defendants have uttered clear threats. | |
| "The chief prosecutor's office requests the judge step down from this case," Mr Faroon said at the opening of the latest hearing. | |
| Mr Amiri defended his conduct, saying: "The judge should co-ordinate and make peace so nobody takes advantage of his fairness... I have been working in the judicial system for the past 25 years." | |
| Graphic descriptions | |
| In Tuesday's session, Saddam Hussein threatened one of the witnesses' lawyers, accusing him of being an agent of "Iranians and Zionists", adding "we will crush his head". | |
| On the opening day of the trial, the former Iraqi leader promised to "hunt down [Mr Faroon] for the rest of my life" if allegations that Iraqi women were raped during his rule were proved untrue. | |
| Witnesses have been giving graphic descriptions of the bombing and imprisoning of Kurds by Iraqi forces. | |
| The defendants are accused of killing up to 180,000 civilians in the late 1980s. | |
| Saddam Hussein and his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, face additional charges of genocide. |