BAGHDAD, Dec 3: Lawyers for Saddam Hussein and two former aides sentenced to death lodged appeals on Sunday, the Iraqi chief prosecutor said, following a trial slammed by some human rights experts as unfair and flawed.

The defence had been given until Tuesday to submit their appeals. The case is already with the appeals court, which will decide whether the hangings should be carried out.

Meanwhile, Saddam is still on a trial for genocide against Kurds.

“Lawyers for Saddam Hussein and two others sentenced to death came to the court today and presented their appeals,” chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said.Saddam's chief defence counsel, Khalil al-Dulaimi, confirmed they had been lodged, but complained the US-backed court had deliberately delayed in handing over the trial verdict, preventing his team from preparing a proper appeal.

“It is a flagrant violation of our rights to deny us a proper defence,” he told Reuters in Amman. Dulaimi's team has had a tempestuous relationship with the court, marked by repeated walkouts and sparring matches with the chief judge.—Reuters