The trial of Saddam Hussein was adjourned until Thursday when the court will hear two more witnesses, the judge said.

The trial of the former president and seven codefendants resumed in Baghdad on Wednesday with three witnesses giving their testimonies over the alleged Dujail massacre in 1982.

Saddam Hussein, who could face death penalty if convicted of killing 148 Shiite villagers after escaping an attempted murder, told the court that he had been tortured by the Americans since his capture in late 2003.

"I have been hit by the Americans and tortured," he said. "I've been beaten on every place of my body and the signs are all over my body."

The trial's chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mousawi said he would investigate the allegation, adding that if the multinational forces had beaten Saddam, he would be transferred into the custody of Iraqi troops.

Source: Xinhua