Chief judge ejects Saddam from Baghdad court

BAGHDAD, Oct 10 (Reuters) The chief judge ejected Saddam Hussein today from the court trying the former president and six co-defendants over the Anfal campaign against ethnic Kurds in the late 1980s.

Judge Mohammed al-Ureybi ordered Saddam to leave the courtroom after cutting off Saddam's microphone when he began talking after the first Kurdish witness finished giving testimony.

It was not immediately clear what was said between Saddam and the judge. It was the fourth time in the last five sessions Saddam has been ejected since Ureybi took over as chief judge.

Saddam, 69, his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majeed, and five former commanders face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their role in Anfal (Spoils of War) campaign that prosecutors say left 182,000 ethnic Kurds dead or missing and included attacks by the Iraqi army using chemical weapons.

The defence team continued its boycott of the trial in protest at the sacking of the previous judge who angered the government by telling Saddam: ''You are not a dictator''.

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