A court in Baghdad has begun its session to deliver the verdict in the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity.
The court in Baghdad trying Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity has begun handing down verdicts to his seven co-defendants.
Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants were charged with killing 148 villagers in the mostly Shia town of Dujail.
The first, Baath Party official Mohammed Azawi Ali, has been acquitted.
If found guilty, Saddam could be sentenced to death.
A further three, not yet named, were all found guilty over the killing of 148 villagers in the mostly Shia town of Dujail and each jailed for 15 years.
A total curfew was imposed on Baghdad and two other provinces ahead of the verdict, amid fears of a violent reaction from Saddam's supporters.
Saddam Hussein is expected to be the last defendant to receive a verdict and could face execution if convicted.
The presiding judge, Rauf Abdel Rahman, called the first of eight co-defendants, Baath party official Mohammed Azawi Ali, into the tribunal as the hearing got under way.
Saddam Hussein was not present in the courtroom at the start of the hearing, although court official Raid Juhi said all of the defendants and their legal defence teams were in the building.
The hearing had been due to begin at 0700 GMT, but was delayed for more than an hour while the judges discussed their verdicts further.
