Adjourned

Yesterday the court trying Saddam Hussein heard from Kurdish witnesses who spoke of the mass slaughter of civilian prisoners.

One survivor described a "ditch full of bodies" and prisoners shot two by two.

Another Kurdish witness described how he escaped the alleged massacre.

"The guards took two prisoners at a time from the bus, shot them dead and dragged their bodies to a huge ditch.

When it was my turn, I and my cousin alighted from the bus and we were blindfolded and handcuffed.

The guards asked us to lie down on the ground and then they sprayed us with bullets. I felt no pain. I thought that maybe when the bullet pierces the body, one doesn't feel the pain, but then I heard my cousin dying.

We were pulled away by our legs. I pretended I was dead."

The trial is now adjourned until 7th November, by which time the verdict of the first trial will be known and Saddam will be very likely facing the death penalty.