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| Judge replaced in Saddam's trial | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The judge in charge of Saddam Hussein's genocide trial has been replaced, the Iraqi prime minister's office said. | The judge in charge of Saddam Hussein's genocide trial has been replaced, the Iraqi prime minister's office said. |
| Earlier, the government said it had asked the court to sack Chief Judge Abdullah al-Amiri accusing him of losing his "neutrality". | Earlier, the government said it had asked the court to sack Chief Judge Abdullah al-Amiri accusing him of losing his "neutrality". |
| Last Thursday, Mr Amiri sparked controversy by saying the ex-leader had not been a dictator. | Last Thursday, Mr Amiri sparked controversy by saying the ex-leader had not been a dictator. |
| There has been no confirmation from the court. In Saddam's first war crimes trial the judge also stepped down. | There has been no confirmation from the court. In Saddam's first war crimes trial the judge also stepped down. |
| "We have asked the court to replace the judge because he has lost his neutrality," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters. | "We have asked the court to replace the judge because he has lost his neutrality," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters. |
| "The court told us he has already been replaced. This was a decision by the cabinet of the prime minister." | "The court told us he has already been replaced. This was a decision by the cabinet of the prime minister." |
| Bias charge | |
| Chief Prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon called for the judge to stand down last Wednesday, saying he is biased towards the former Iraqi leader. | |
| Mr Faroon said defendants had been given too much room to threaten witnesses and make political speeches. | |
| Mr Amiri rejected the request, saying his approach was based on fairness and 25 years' experience. | |
| A day later he intervened on Saddam Hussein's behalf to say the former Iraqi leader had not been a dictator, but had only been made to seem like one by his aides. | |
| Correspondents say the latest change could revive complaints the government is interfering in trials of former regime members to ensure a quick guilty verdict. | |
| Saddam Hussein and six others are on trial for war crimes during the so-called Anfal campaign in which up to 180,000 Kurdish civilians died in the late 1980s. | |
| Saddam Hussein and his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, popularly known in Iraq as Chemical Ali, face additional charges of genocide. | |
| Chemical attack | |
| In Tuesday's testimony, further survivors of the Anfal campaign recounted chemical attacks by the Iraqi military on their villages. | |
| Witness Iskandar Mahmoud Abdul Rahman said an attack on his village began when Iraqi aircraft flew over on 20 March 1988. | |
| "We took the floor; white smoke covered us, it smelled awful. My heartbeat increased. I started to vomit. I felt dizzy. My eyes burned and I couldn't stand on my feet," Mr Abdul Rahman said. | |
| He said he escaped to Iran where doctors treated him with injections and medication, including eye drops. | |
| "They cut the burned skin with scissors. I can show the court my scars that are still visible on my body," he said. | |
| Off camera, but in the presence of court reporters, Mr Abdul Rahman then removed his blue shirt to show several dark scars on his back. | |
| Two other witnesses also testified, repeating allegations of abuse suffered during the crackdown. |