Saddam Hussein and a former U.S. attorney general assembled in the special Green Zone courtroom as the trial of the ousted leader and seven others resumed Monday after a five-week recess. Mortar fire echoed in the center of the Iraqi capital shortly before the session began, the Associated Press reported. The former leader pleaded innocent to charges of murder, torture, forced expulsions and illegal detentions at the opening session Oct. 19. The session marked a moment of silence in memory of two defense lawyers assassinated since the trial began. Saddam complained to the judge Monday about having to walk up four flights of stairs, shackled and escorted by foreign guards. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former Qatari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi were seated with the defense team inside the heavy guarded room Monday, along with Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil Dulaimi. Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin ordered all handcuffs and shackles removed from Saddam and the seven co-defendants before they entered the court. Dressed in black trousers and a gray jacket, Saddam was the last of the eight to enter, walking with a swagger, appearing cheerful and greeting people with a traditional Arabic greeting "peace be upon the people of peace."
