Saddam loyalist thrown out of court

Baghdad: Saddam Hussein's former intelligence chief Barzan Ibrahim was dragged out of court and manhandled by guards after arguing with the judge on Monday.

Chief Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman ordered Barzan Ibrahim removed after he accused the court of "terrorising" the defence.

Iraqi guards grabbed Ibrahim by the arms and pulled him out, and when he tried to shrug them off, they held his left arm and pushed him into a wall as they tried to hustle him out the door, causing an uproar among the defence lawyers.

"This is dictatorial," Ibrahim shouted as he was pulled out. "You know dictatorship," Abdel-Rahman sneered.

After the uproar, Saddam stood and sarcastically suggested the defence and defendants to leave. "If this will bring you calm and quiet and give you the opportunity to reach your verdicts, if my presence bothers you then I can withdraw and ask the defence team to withdraw as well," said Saddam.

"People, Iraq's money is being stolen," he said. "Bloodshed is taking place every day, four times as much bloodshed in Dujail; I mean those who were sentenced to death."

Saddam and seven former members of his regime are on trial for charges of crimes against humanity in a crackdown against Shiites in the town of Dujail after a 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam.

They are accused of torturing women and children and wrongfully killing 148 Shiites sentenced to death for the attack on the former Iraqi leader.

It was the second time in two weeks that Ibrahim has been thrown out for arguing with Abdel-Rahman.

The court has gotten more chaotic in recent sessions as the defence stepped up its arguments that the prosecution case is fundamentally flawed and possibly forged.

Two weeks ago, four defence witnesses were arrested after giving their testimony, and the defence team said they were beaten by Iraqi police as US soldiers watched.

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An American on the defence team, Curtis Doebbler, accused the court of discriminating against the defence on Monday, saying it had ignored its requests, intimidated witnesses and rushed the defence while giving the prosecution all the time it needed to present its case.

"We are at a serious disadvantage to the prosecution becasue of the way we have been treated by the court," Doebbler told Chief Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman.

"We want to work for justice. But that must start by having a fair trial. But under the current circumstances, that doesn't seem possible. We ask that the trial be stopped to allow us adequate time to prepare our defence," Doebbler said.

Doebbler pointed out that the prosecution took more than five months to present its case, while the court is rushing the defence, which began its arguments in April.

Abdel-Rahman has repeatedly demanded the defence present full lists of witnesses.

"Our witnesses have been intimidated by the court and have been assaulted," Doebbler said. "Several lawyers were assaulted as well."

Doebbler is one of two American lawyers, along with former US attorney general Ramsey Clark, who have joined the defence team, though they have not attended every session.