BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The new chief judge in the Saddam Hussein genocide trial threw the former Iraqi president out of court Wednesday, and his lawyers stormed out in protest. A leading human rights group charged that the government's decision to replace the former chief judge, Abdullah al-Amiri, threatens the independence of the troubled tribunal.Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa presided Wednesday after the government removed al-Amiri, who angered Kurds by declaring last week that Saddam was "not a dictator." The ousted president and seven others are on trial for the Operation Anfal crackdown on Kurdish rebels in the late 1980s. The prosecution says about 180,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Defense lawyers immediately questioned the decision to replace al-Amiri. "We don't expect this court established under the occupation authorities to be fair so we have decided to withdraw from this trial," defense lawyer Wadoud Fawzi told the court. "The decision to sack the judge on the orders of the government shows that this trial lacks the standards of a fair trial," Fawzi said.