HANDWRITING EXPERTS AUTHENTICATED SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SIGNATURES ON MORE DOCUMENTS RELATED TO A CRACKDOWN ON SHIITES IN THE 1980S, THE CHIEF JUDGE IN HIS TRIAL SAID WEDNESDAY. AMONG THE DOCUMENTS WAS APPARENTLY AN ORDER APPROVING DEATH SENTENCES FOR 148 SHIITES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED. SADDAM AND HIS SEVEN CO-DEFENDANTS WERE IN THE COURTROOM IN THE LATEST SESSION OF THE TRIAL WEDNESDAY, AS CHIEF JUDGE RAOUF ABDEL-RAHMAN READ A REPORT BY HANDWRITING EXPERTS ON TWO DOCUMENTS SAID TO BE SIGNED BY SADDAM. THE EXPERTS CONFIRMED THE SIGNATURES WERE THE FORMER IRAQI LEADER'S, ABDEL-RAHMAN SAID. THE EXPERTS' REPORT DID NOT GIVE DETAILS ON THE DOCUMENTS.
