Saddam Hussein trial resumes in Baghdad
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-28 20:34

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 was secure enough for "regular and fair proceedings," even if "they are admittedly difficult."