Saddam Hussein pleads innocent after charges reading

Ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein pleaded not guilty at his trial today on charges of crimes against humanity over a 1982 massacre of Shiite villagers. "I said what I said, I am not guilty, I am innocent," Saddam told the court after the charges were read.

All other seven defendants also declared they were 'innocent.'

They face the death penalty if convicted, Forbes says.

"They are charged with murder, forced expulsion, imprisonment, failure to comply with international law and torture," chief judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin told the eight.

"These defendants have personal responsibilty in the case," he said, adding that according to the legal code, the charges carry the death penalty.

T.E.