The court is ready to appoint a new team if defense lawyers fail to appear, added Raid Juhi, one of the judges on the special tribunal trying the former dictator and others.
Saddam's team said in a statement earlier in the day that about 1,100 Iraqi lawyers had withdrawn from the defense, arguing that inadequate protection was evident after the killings of two attorneys who were defending co-defendants of the ousted leader.
The statement did not say if those lawyers included Saddam's chief Iraqi attorney, Khalil al-Dulaimi, but it said other team members continued their duties "under complex and dangerous circumstances." Al-Dulaimi suggested last week that defense lawyers would not show up for the next session Nov. 28.
The attorneys who withdrew were among some 1,500 enlisted to help Saddam's defense, mostly researching legal precedents, preparing briefs and performing other tasks outside the courtroom, said Jordanian lawyer Ziad al-Khasawneh, who was once part of the......
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