(file photo)
4 September 2005 -- The Iraqi government has said Saddam Hussein and seven of his closest aides will go on trial on 19 October, four days after the national refendum on the constitution.
The announcement came as relatives of Hussein today said they have appointed a new defense team for the former Iraqi president ahead of his trial next month.
Saddam's daughter Raghad said the 1,500 legal experts originally hired had been sacked because they had offered conflicting advice.
The eight defendants will be tried over the 1982 killing of 143 residents in the town of Dujail, where Hussein had been the target of a failed assassination bid.
Hussein's co-defendants include his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barazan Ibrahim and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan.
Hussein is also expected to face separate trials on further counts of crimes against humanity, including the mass
killings of Kurds and Shi'ites in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
(BBC/AFP)
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More news and analysis on Iraq
Saddam's daughter Raghad said the 1,500 legal experts originally hired had been sacked because they had offered conflicting advice.
The eight defendants will be tried over the 1982 killing of 143 residents in the town of Dujail, where Hussein had been the target of a failed assassination bid.
Hussein's co-defendants include his half-brother and former intelligence chief Barazan Ibrahim and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan.
Hussein is also expected to face separate trials on further counts of crimes against humanity, including the mass
killings of Kurds and Shi'ites in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
(BBC/AFP)
See also:
More news and analysis on Iraq