Saddam judge postpones until Nov 5 verdict

BAGHDAD, Oct 16: A court trying Saddam Hussein for the killing of Shi'ites in the 1980s has postponed until Nov 5 a session in which it could set a date for a verdict, that could carry a death penalty, officials said today.

The US-backed court, which was set to announce today a final date for a verdict for the toppled leader and seven of his former top lieutenants for crimes against humanity, said it needed more time to review testimony.

Court spokesman Raed Juhi said the Iraqi High Tribunal would reconvene on Nov 5, but that it was not clear if a date for a verdict would be announced then.

''They are finishing reviewing testimony. If the court has finished reviewing testimony by Nov. 5 there might be a verdict. The court would do whatever it finds appropriate,'' Juhi told Reuters.

Prosecutors have asked for the death penalty to be imposed if Saddam is found guilty in the killing of 148 Shi'ites after an attempt on his life in the village of Dujail in 1982.

Saddam is also on trial separately on charges of genocide for a military operation against the country's ethnic Kurds in the late 1980s that killed tens of thousands.

Iraqi law states an execution must be by hanging. Saddam has said he deserves to meet this fate by firing squad rather than the gallows.

But any execution could be delayed by lengthy appeals and by the up to a dozen other cases the toppled leader could face.

REUTERS