Special report: Trial of Saddam Hussein

    BAGHDAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chief judge of Saddam Hussein's trial ordered the female defense lawyer out of the court after she interrupted Wednesday's session, a Xinhua reporter at the court said.

    Chief Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman ordered Bushra Khalil to betaken out of the court after she began displaying pictures of Iraqis being tortured by U.S. troops in Iraq.

    Judge Raouf Abdel Rahman said that she was out of control.

    "This is what the Americans did to Iraqis in Abu Ghraib, "Khalil said as she was showing the court pictures of abused prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.

    The Lebanese lawyer was then escorted out of the courtroom.

    Wednesday's expel of Saddam's lawyer came after the trial resumed in Baghdad.

    The proceedings started at 11:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) in the heavily-fortified Green Zone and Saddam was the only defendant that appeared in court.

    Saddam was also being questioned by the judges and prosecutors, the first time in the over six-month-long trial.

    Saddam and his seven co-defendants are facing charges against humanity including the killing of 148 Shiite men in the Dujail village after an assassination attempt on Saddam's life in 1982.

    If convicted, Saddam and his aides will face death penalty.

    Wednesday's session came one day after prosecutors announced that they would charge Saddam with genocide against the Kurds in the late 1980s.

    Saddam is expected to take the stand over the genocide charges in a separate court as early as next month. Enditem