Saddam trial: last day to hear defense witnesses

Saddam trial: last day to hear defense witnesses

One of Saddam's top co-defendants, Barzan Ibrahim, was absent after being thrown out of the court the day before for arguing with chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman. The judge said Tuesday that Ibrahim was being kept out "for his violations against the oreder of the court."

If Abdel-Rahman sticks to that stance, it could mean that the end of proceedings is near in the nearly 8-month-old trial. After the defense witnesses are finished, the prosecution and defense would present their closing statements and the five-judge panel would call an adjournment to consider their verdicts, the AP reports.