Saddam's Trial Adjourned
Saddam Hussein's crimes against humanity trial resumed briefly Monday in Baghdad but was then adjourned until Dec. 5 by the chief judge. Mortar fire was heard elsewhere in the Iraqi capital and the U.S. Embassy confirmed that an American civilian is missing in Iraq, along with three colleagues.
The former Iraqi president's trial resumed just two days after the arrest in Kirkuk of eight Sunni Arabs accused of plotting to kill the judge who prepared the indictment against Saddam on charges of crimes against humanity.
This is not the first shadow of violence over the trial, which previously lost two defense lawyers to murder.
In this phase of the trial, Saddam will hear from his accusers as the first of as many as 35 witnesses take the stand. Most will be hidden behind a screen, with their names withheld from the court proceedings, because of the fear of reprisals.
CBS News correspondent Lara Logan reports Saddam's lawyer says the former president will remain defiant as the trial resumes under
.The lawyer, Khamis Al-Obeidi, says Saddam Hussein is "performing not just for the people of Iraq, but for the eyes of the world that he knows are on this trial."
Monday, Saddam complained angrily to the judge about having to walk up four flights of stairs, chained and escorted by "foreign guards.'"
In other recent developments in Iraq:
CBS News has learned that the chief prosecutor is hoping for a conviction in just seven to eight working days.
Asked whether Saddam ever talks about the possibility of being sentenced to death, Khamis Al-Obeidi replied: "This is in the hands of God and we have never discussed it."
Saddam Hussein's defense team includes two high-powered advisers: former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former Qartari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi, who arrived in court Monday along with the former Iraqi president's chief lawyer, Khalil Dulaimi.
Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin ordered all handcuffs and shackles removed from Saddam and his seven co-defendants before they entered the court. Saddam was the last of the eight to come inside, walking with a swagger, appearing cheerful and greeting people with the traditional Arabic greeting "Peace be upon the people of peace."
Saddam, dressed in black trousers and a gray jacket, entered about eight minutes after his name was called.
Several mortar blasts could be heard although it was unclear where they occurred. There were no immediate casualty reports.
Saddam and seven co-defendants are charged in the killing of more than 140 Shiite Muslims after an assassination attempt against the former president in the Shiite town of Dujail in 1982. Convictions could bring a sentence of death by hanging.
Insecurity from the predominantly Sunni insurgency has complicated efforts to put Saddam on trial and forced draconian measures. For example, names of four of the five trial judges have been kept secret and some of the 35 witnesses may testify behind curtains to protect them from reprisal.
Ramsey Clark, who served as attorney general under President Johnson, wrote last month that Saddam's rights had been systematically violated since his December 2003 capture, including his right "to a lawyer of his own choosing."
Clark and others say a fair trial is impossible in Iraq because of the insurgency and because, they argue, the country is effectively under foreign military occupation. U.S. and Iraqi officials insist the trial will conform to international standards.
Still, the trial has unleashed passions in an Iraqi society deeply divided in its judgment of Saddam and his rule.
Many of the Sunni Arab insurgent groups include Saddam loyalists, including members of the former ruling Baath party and veterans of both Saddam's personal militia and the Republican Guard.
The ousted leader, meanwhile, is vilified by Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority and its Kurdish community, which were oppressed during his rule.
On Saturday, hundreds of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied in Baghdad to demand Saddam's execution.
Separately, the leader of the biggest Shiite party, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, accused the court of "weakness" for not having sentenced Saddam to death already. He also complained that media attention over allegations of torture by the Shiite-led security services had belittled Saddam's alleged crimes.
"The court will need all of its strength to resist the pressure," said Miranda Sissons of the International Center for Transitional Justice, an observer at the trial.
In an interview with a German magazine, chief judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin said he pondered moving the trial to Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq because of poor security in Baghdad. Iraqi law provides legal steps for moving the court elsewhere in the country.
However, Amin, a Kurd, said he decided the capital is secure enough for "regular and fair proceedings," even if "they are admittedly difficult."