A former judge who sentenced 148 Shiites to death under Saddam Hussein’s rule in the 1980s told prosecutors in the Saddam trial Thursday that the suspects had confessed and received a fair trial. But Awad al-Bandar acknowledged the defendants had only one defense lawyer, appointed by his Revolutionary Court. Wearing a red checkered traditional headdress, al-Bandar stood alone in the defendants’ pen, often appearing nervous and agitated as chief judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman and prosecutors questioned him. Al-Bandar was one of seven co-defendants in the case who were cross-examined last month, but he was called back for both the defense and prosecution to present new documents. Full Story