At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Saddam pleaded not guilty to charges, asking the judge: "Who are you? I want to know who you are."
BAGHDAD: The trial of Saddam Hussein on war crimes charges was adjourned for more than a month shortly after it began on Wednesday, prosecutors told reporters.
"It has been adjourned until November 28," one of the prosecutors said.
An adjournment had been widely expected. Saddam's lawyer had said he would ask for the trial to be adjourned, arguing he had insufficient time to prepare.
Saddam has been charged with crimes against humanity in connection with the deaths of more than 140 Shi'ite Muslim men after a group of young Shi'ites tried to assassinate him near Dujail, a town about 60 km (35 miles) north of Baghdad, in 1982.
At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Saddam and his seven co-defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A thin looking Saddam, wearing a dark grey suit and open collared white shirt, stood and asked the judge: "Who are you? I want to know who you are."
"I preserve my constitutional rights as the President of Iraq," Saddam said. "I do not recognize the body that has authorised you and I don't recognize this aggression. What is based on injustice is unjust ... I do not respond to this so called court, with all due respect."
The judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, a Kurd, tried to get Saddam to formally identify himself but Saddam refused. Finally, Saddam sat.
The five-member panel of judges will both hear the case and render a verdict in the first of several trials of Saddam for atrocities carried out during his 23 year rule.
Starting the session, Amin called Saddam and his seven co-defendants into the room one by one. Saddam was the last to enter. He glanced at scribes watching through bulletproof glass from a nearby room.
He motioned for his escorts to slow down a little. After sitting, he greeted his co-defendants, saying "Peace be upon you," sitting next to co-defendant Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court.
The other defendants include Saddam's former intelligence chief, his former vice president and other lower level Baathist civil servants.
Most were wearing traditional Arab robes and they complained that they were not allowed to have headdresses, so court officials brought out headdresses for them.
Saddam Hussein’s first day in court on charges of crimes against humanity today was marked by an argument with presiding judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin. Following is a transcript of that exchange:
In response to a question, Saddam stood up and began reading aloud from a Koran, he carried into the courtroom.
Judge: Mr Saddam we ask you to write down your identity, your name, occupation and address and then we will allow you to talk. Now it is time to write down your identity.
Saddam: I was not about to say much.
Judge: We want your identity, your name, then we will listen to what you have. We are writing down the identities at this time. We will hear you when we need to listen to you.
Saddam: First of all, who are you and what are you?
Judge: The Iraqi Criminal Court.
Saddam: All of you are judges?
Judge: We don’t have time to get into details. You can write down what you like.
Saddam: I have been here in this military building since 2:30, and then from nine I have been wearing this suit. They have asked me to take it off and then put it on again many times.
Judge: Who are you? What is your identity? Why don’t you take a seat and let the others say their names and we will get back to you.
Saddam: You know me. You are an Iraqi and you know who I am. And you know I don’t get tired.
Judge: These are formalities and we need to hear it from you.
Saddam: They have prevented me from getting a pen and a paper because paper, it seems, is frightening these days. I don’t hold any grudges against any of you. But upholding what is right and respecting the great Iraqi people who chose me, I won’t answer to this court, with all due respect to the individuals involved in it, and I reserve my constitutional rights as the president of Iraq. You know me.
Judge: These are the procedures. A judge cannot rely on personal knowledge.
Saddam: I don’t recognise the group that gave you the authority and assigned you. Aggression is illegitimate and what is built on illegitimacy is illegitimate.
With inputs from Reuters
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