Saddam Hussein has returned to court to hear the testimony from defence witnesses for some of his lesser-known co-defendants who, like himself, have denied crimes against humanity.

Saddam and three other senior Baath party figures being tried with him had not been present since they lodged not guilty pleas to formal charges read out on Monday morning.

Saddam refused to plead, but the judge ruled he had denied the charge.

The defence case opened with witnesses giving evidence for some of the four local party officials on trial for the same reprisals, in which 399 people from the mainly Shia town of Dujail were variously imprisoned, deported, executed after an attempt on Saddam's life there in 1982.

Counsel for Saddam and the three other senior figures had asked on Tuesday that they be allowed to be present for the evidence.

Witnesses were expected to speak in defence of two local Baath party members from Dujail on Wednesday

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Mizher Abdullah Kadam al-Roweed testifies during his trial held in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. ( AFP)