THE DEFENSE PRESENTED WITNESSES TUESDAY IN THE TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN AND FORMER MEMBERS OF HIS REGIME A DAY AFTER THE JUDGE FORMALLY CHARGED THEM WITH CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY THAT CARRY A POSSIBLE DEATH PENALTY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED. ONLY THREE LOWER-LEVEL DEFENDANTS WERE IN THE COURT _ABDULLAH KAZIM AL-RUWAYYID, HIS SON MIZHAR AND MOHAMMED AZZAWI _ AS THE FIRST WITNESS TOOK THE STAND, TESTIFYING FROM BEHIND A CURTAIN TO PROTECT HIS IDENTITY. UNDER THE IRAQI SYSTEM, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHARGES AGAINST SADDAM AND HIS SEVEN CO-DEFENDANTS EFFECTIVELY PUTS THE BURDEN OF PROOF ON THE DEFENSE TO DISMISS THE ACCUSATIONS, BRINGING THE 7-MONTH-OLD TRIAL TO A NEW, INTENSE LEVEL. CHIEF JUDGE RAOUF ABDEL-RAHMAN PRESENTED THE CHARGES MONDAY AFTER MONTHS OF HEARING PROSECUTION WITNESSES DISCRIBE TORTURE AT THE HANDS OF SADDAM'S INTELLIGENCE AGENTS AND DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY TYING THE IRAQI LEADER TO A CRACKDOWN AGAINST SHIITES IN THE 1980S.
