BEIJING, Feb. 1 -- Saddam Hussein and his lawyers say they will boycott the next session of the deposed leader's trial in Baghdad to protest alleged "bias" of the new chief judge appointed to hear the case.

    Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi has made the comment upon arriving in Jordan from neighboring Iraq.

    "We all agreed not to attend the next session. As for the sessions after we have a number of reasonable and legally justifiable demands, if they are met we will continue our work normally, even with our past reservations regarding the legality of this trial," said al-Dulaimi.

    In a chaotic session of Saddam's trial on Sunday, a new judge has cracked down, ordering a co-defendant and a Jordanian lawyer, Saleh Armouti, expelled from the courtroom. The entire defense team has left in protest and Saddam has been escorted out.

    Despite the turmoil in the courtroom, chief judge Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman has pushed forward, replacing the defense lawyers with court appointed attorneys and hearing three prosecution witnesses before adjourning the trial until Wednesday.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)