Saddam's defense team, which includes some 1,500 lawyers who act as advisers, is led by al-Dulaimi and Abdel Haq Alani, an Iraqi-born lawyer based in Britain. Alani is the top legal consultant to Saddam's daughter, Raghad, and believed to be backbone of defense team.
Alani said the latest killing confirmed defense fears that defense lawyers were being systematically targeted.
"How do they expect a trial to proceed if the lawyers fear for their lives? How can we call witnesses to take the stand in court?" he told The Associated Press by telephone. "This is a sham, not a trial."
Alani blamed the Bush administration for the turmoil in Iraq, including Tuesday's assassination.
"The whole trial, the bloodshed in Iraq, the killings, the violence and everything else wouldn't have happened, had the Americans not invaded Iraq," Alani said. "After invasion and occupation, the occupying power is responsible for protecting the lives of the people under occupation."
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