A U.S.-based human rights group said on Saturday that the Iraqi government and political powers are interfering with the independence of the judges in charge of the trial of Saddam Hussein.

On its website updated on Saturday, Human Rights Watch said the interference is threatening the fairness of the trial of the former Iraqi president and his seven co-defendants.

"The demand for Presiding Judge Rizgar Amin's dismissal, which contributed to his resignation, was nothing less than an attack on judicial independence," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch.

Amin, a Kurd, resigned as Chief Judge of Saddam's trial earlier this month amid mounting criticism, mainly from Shiite politicians, who criticized him for being lenient with Saddam and his co- defendants.

Following Amin's resignation, another Kurd, Raouf Rasheed Abdel- Rahman, was named as an interim replacement for Amin.

Amin was not the only one, who quit the job under the political pressure.

Al-Hammash, a Shiite Muslim, was also removed from the five- member judicial panel amid allegations saying that he was members of Saddam's former ruling Baath Party despite his denying.

"The removal of Judge al-Hammashi from the trial created the appearance of a court that is continually subjected to political interference," said Dicker.

"The resignation of Judge Amin and the transfer of Judge al- Hammashi mean that two of the five judges who have heard the witness testimony are now off the case," he said.

"It will be difficult for the new judges to impartially evaluate the testimony they missed, damaging the integrity of the trial," Dicker added.

The Iraqi High Tribunal is prosecuting Saddam and seven of his top aides over ordering the massacre of more than 140 Shiites in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, following a failed assassination attempt on Saddam in 1982.

Source: Xinhua