Saddam refuses plea on Kurdish genocide charge
Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea on the first day of his trial on Monday for genocide against Kurds in the 1980s, prompting the judge to enter a not guilty plea on the former Iraqi president's behalf.
The 69-year-old ousted leader, repeating his position at the start of an earlier trial for crimes against humanity, dismissed the US-sponsored Baghdad tribunal as a "Court of occupation" and refused to state his name. (Reuters)
