BAGHDAD, March 15: A combative Saddam Hussein formally took the stand at his trial on Wednesday and urged Iraqis to fight invaders, prompting the judge to bar reporters from the court the former president denounced as a ‘comedy’.

“I call on the people to start resisting the invaders instead of killing each other,” Saddam Hussein told the chamber in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

The toppled leader warned Iraqis to avoid civil war in a country he ruled with an iron fist for three decades, otherwise ‘you will live in darkness and rivers of blood’.

Apparently fearful that Saddam’s fiery rhetoric could incite violence, court officials have reserved the right to censor sessions despite describing the trial as transparent.

Saddam and seven co-accused could face hanging if convicted on charges of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shias in 1982 after an assassination attempt on him.

Prosecutors hope the Dujail case would prove more clear-cut than other more complex cases involving charges of genocide, where Saddam’s responsibility may be more difficult to prove.

Court sessions have been frequently dominated by tirades from Saddam and his former intelligence chief Barzan al Tikriti in a trial already marred by boycotts, the killing of two defence lawyers and the resignation of the chief judge.

Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and no tie, Saddam calmly read from a yellow notebook in the US-sponsored court.

As he began making a political speech, chief judge Raouf Abdel Rahman began switching off his microphone until finally declaring the court closed to the public.

Turning to sectarian violence that has pushed the country towards civil war, Saddam called on all Iraqis to unite.

“Go back to fight the aggressors rather than killing each other ... I call on Iraqis, men and women,” he said.—Reuters