Saddam trial to open in October
Afp, Baghdad
Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein will go on trial in the second half of October after a referendum is held on the constitution, a government official said Friday. "The trial will take place in the second half of October," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. A referendum on the constitution is scheduled to take place on October 15. There was no official word from the Iraqi Special Tribunal, which is tasked with trying Saddam and his henchmen. Saddam, who was ousted in April 2003 and captured in December of that year, is currently in US custody near Baghdad airport facing charges of crimes against humanity. The Iraqi Special Tribunal said in July he would initially face trial for the 1982 killing of 143 residents of the village of Dujail, northeast of Baghdad, where he had been the target of a failed assassination bid. Saddam could face the death penalty. Earlier this week, the government announced that three convicted murderers were hanged, marking the first executions since Saddam was toppled.
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