Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer said today lawyers for the former Iraqi president and seven co-defendants would stop all dealings with the tribunal trying them for crimes against humanity.
"The defence committee has decided to consider the November 28 date (for the next hearing) cancelled and illegitimate," Khalil al-Dulaimi said the day after a lawyer for one of the defendants was shot dead in Baghdad.
Saddam Hussein speaking at the start of his trial for crimes against humanity
He was the second defence lawyer to be killed since the trial began on October 19th. The court is due to hold its next hearing on November 28th but Mr Dulaimi said the defence lawyers were unable to contact witnesses or do their job because of the threats to their lives.
Gunmen shot dead defence lawyer Adil al-Zubeidi in Baghdad yesterday and injured Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie, a fellow member of the defence team.
Both had been defending Saddam's half-brother and his former vice president.
"We call on the international community, the UN Security Council, the United States and all those involved to work on scrapping the criminal court as illegitimate, and also to pressure it to release President Saddam Hussein and his legitimate leadership team," Mr Dulaimi said.
Coming less than three weeks after the killing of another lawyer for one of Saddam's co-accused, yesterday's attack renewed concerns about whether the trial can be held in Iraq given the violence still plaguing the country.