Second defence lawyer murdered

Gunmen killed a second defence lawyer in the trial of Saddam Hussein and his aides yesterday and the former Iraqi president's own counsel demanded the court be moved abroad, out of reach of the US-backed government.

The sectarian anger dividing Iraq pervades the proceedings but ministers refused to consider a move abroad after a lawyer for another of Saddam's co-accused was killed three weeks ago and the government spokesman declined fresh comment.

The defence renewed a threat to boycott the court, which is next due to sit at the end of the month.

Another defence lawyer was slightly wounded in the attack on their car in Baghdad; three weeks ago a colleague was abducted and shot the day after the start of proceedings in the trial for crimes against humanity on October 19. Both dead men made vocal, televised contributions on what has so far been the only day of hearings.

In yesterday's attack, Adil al-Zubeidi was killed and his colleague Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie wounded when their car came under fire in the western Baghdad district of Hay al-Adil, police and defence team sources said. Both were working for Saddam's brother and his former vice president.

"This happened in broad daylight in front of the US occupation forces," Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi told Al Jazeera television. "A group of armed men, using as usual government vehicles, killed one of the most prominent lawyers in the defence team... The US and Iraqi governments have to take responsibility with regards to these barbaric attacks."

The start of the trial was watched on television by Iraqis around the country but some in Saddam's Sunni Arab minority condemned it as a show-trial and "victors' justice" orchestrated by the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government.

The government has denied involvement in the murder of defence lawyer Saadoun al-Janabi the day after the trial opened but his killing renewed accusations of sectarian violence involving government forces and pro-government Shi'ite militias ranged against Saddam's fellow minority Sunni Arabs. His killers said they were from the Interior Ministry, witnesses said.

The defence team, which had already threatened to boycott the next hearing on Nov. 28 unless measures were taken to protect them, said a fair trial was impossible in current circumstances and the trial should be moved abroad.

The two lawyers shot on Tuesday were defending Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan. Millions watching across Iraq last month saw Zubeidi argue forcefully with the judge, brandishing documents and jabbing his finger as he protested the validity of evidence.