Former Iraqi Judge Defends Death Warrants

A man reads coverage of the Saddam Hussein trial in an Arabic newspaper (file photo) (epa) March 13, 2006 -- A former judge under Saddam Hussein's regime today defended the legality of the death warrants he issued for 148 men accused of trying to assassinate Hussein in the 1980s.

Awad al-Bandar is on trial -- along with Hussein, and six other former Iraqi officials -- for his role in the killing of the 148 men following an assassination attempt on Hussein in 1982 in Al-Dujayl, the town from which the men came.

Hussein admits to ordering the trial that led to the executions, saying that the entire process was legitimate.

Bandar, who was the head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, called the trial fair and the death sentences legal.

Prosecutors say the trial of the 148 was a sham.

(AP, Reuters)