Saddam Hussein and seven senior members of his regime will go on trial Wednesday to face charges they ordered the 1982 killings of some 150 people from the mainly Shiite town of Dujail following a failed attempt to assassinate the former Iraqi president.
Court officials have said they are trying Saddam on the Dujail massacre first because it was the easiest and quickest case to put together. Other cases they are investigating involve much larger numbers of victims, more witnesses and more documentation.
If convicted, Saddam and his co-defendants could face the death penalty, the AP reported.
Saddam and his co-defendants are expected to hear the charges against them during Wednesday's hearing. The trial is then expected to be adjourned for several weeks.
The Shiite Dawa Party was blamed by the toppled regime for the attempt on Saddam's life in Dujail. Of the estimated 17 party members who opened fire on Saddam's motorcade, eight were killed in a shootout with soldiers from Saddam's elite Republican Guard. Nine others escaped and fled to Iran.
