[JURIST] A lawyer for Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] said Tuesday that his defense team still has not been informed by Iraqi authorities of the trial date and charges pressed against the ousted Iraqi leader and reiterated doubts about the impartiality of the proceeding. Khalil Dulaimi said in a statement to AFP, "We have not been duly informed about any certain date for a trial... The defense has not been enabled to review any files of the charges or even any paper of investigation, despite the fact that we have made many and repeated requests to this effect." Dulaimi also said that the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website] had denied requests to include Arab and Iraqi lawyers as part of Hussein's defense team [JURIST report] and that he had been "prevented from exchanging legal documents with his lawyer." Dulaimi refused to elaborate on his comment that the defense team "have not and will not recognize any date for the trial if it comes within weeks or months." Hussein is scheduled to face trial on October 19 [JURIST report] for the killing of 143 Shiites in Dujail. AFP has more.