BAGHDAD, 27 September 2006 — Saddam Hussein was ejected from his genocide trial for a third consecutive time yesterday as chaos reigned following the sacking of the chief judge last week. International legal rights groups have warned that the sacking of the former chief judge, removed by the government last week for saying Saddam was “not a dictator” could hurt the historic trial’s credibility. New chief judge Mohammed Al-Ureybi, who had thrown Saddam out of the two previous hearings he has chaired in the past week, opened yesterday’s hearing with a lecture to Saddam to behave.
He let him read a 20-minute statement, with microphones off so those in the glass-enclosed press gallery could not hear. But after listening to two Kurdish witnesses, Saddam again began to argue and the judge lost his patience. “You are a defendant and I’m a judge,” Ureybi said. “Shut up, no one talk... The court has decided to eject Saddam Hussein from court.” As Saddam left, smiling, his six co-defendantsstood and tried to follow him out, demanding they leave too. The judge shouted back: “Get Saddam out and put the others back in their seats.”
