A senior member of Saddam Hussein's defence team said today lawyers would boycott the next hearing of the trial unless the chief judge apologised for expelling one of Saddam's co-defendants.
Judge Raouf Abdel Rahman ejected Saddam's former intelligence chief and half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, after he refused to keep quiet and called the trial "a daughter of a whore".
"Barzan was only explaining the circumstance of his illness, asking for medical care because he has cancer. Does that mean he deserves to be expelled?" Khamis al-Aubeide, deputy chief of Saddam's team, told Reuters.
Mr Aubeide said the defence team were also protesting the expulsion of one of their members, Saleh al-Armouti, who he said was ejected for questioning the legitimacy of the court. He said Saddam would refuse to attend the next session, scheduled for either Wednesday or Thursday, if the defence team was not present.
Saddam's chief counsel, Khalil al-Duleimi, confirmed the defence team was threatening to boycott the next session until their demands were met. He told Reuters the lawyers were seeking protection for themselves and their families.
Two defence lawyers have been murdered since the trial started last October.
The eighth session of Saddam's trial on charges of crimes against humanity descended into chaos just minutes after starting today, when Saddam and his legal team walked out.
Judge Abdel Rahman is under pressure to stamp his authority on the court after the government criticised his predecessor, who resigned two weeks ago, for being too lenient on Saddam, whose tirades have dominated proceedings.
Saddam and seven co-accused are charged with killing 148 men from the Shia town of Dujail after a failed bid to assassinate him there in 1982.