Iran sends Saddam charges to Iraq

Footage of the trial will be shown on Iraqi television

Iran has sent a list of charges against the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to the Iraqi government, a day before his trial is to begin in Baghdad.

Iran says its indictment includes charges of genocide and the use of chemical weapons.

Saddam Hussein is to appear in court on charges related to the deaths of 143 people in the town of Dujail in 1982.

The former president and his seven co-defendants could face the death penalty if convicted.

We want the court to investigate the charges brought by Iranian people Iranian spokesman Q&A: Putting Saddam on trial

A spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Jamal Karimirad, said the petition of charges was filed through diplomatic channels to the Baghdad court where Saddam goes on trial on Wednesday.

The charges have not been fully revealed, but he said they were connected to the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, which left more than one million dead.

"The invasion of Iran in 1980 was definitely one of the crimes committed by Saddam. We want the court to investigate the charges brought by Iranian people," Mr Karimirad told a press conference.

Quickest case

Wednesday's much-anticipated trial will take place amid tight security, with body searches, X-rays, background checks on observers, eye scans and finger-printing.

The outlawed Baath party called for supporters to attack US and Iraqi forces at the start of trial, the AFP news agency reported.

In pictures: Saddam in Dujail

A statement on a website, which could not be verified, urged Saddam Hussein supporters to "salute the leader... by firing bullets and mortars of death at the occupier, its men, equipment and bases, as well as agents in the army and the symbols of treason".

The Iraqi Special Tribunal which is trying Saddam was set up by the US after his capture in December 2003.

The case is likely to be adjourned soon after it opens so judges can study defence motions for a dismissal or delay.

Court officials say they are trying Saddam on the Dujail massacre first, because it was the easiest and quickest case to put together.

Other cases they are investigating involve much larger numbers of victims, more witnesses and more documentation.

You can watch continuous courtropom coverage of the trial of Saddam Hussein from the BBC News website at 0820BST/0720GMT on Wednesday.