Former President Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants showed up in a court in the capital to await verdicts Sunday morning amid tight security.

Baghdad's international airport was closed as of 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Sunday, while a curfew was imposed in the capital and two neighboring provinces Diyala and Salahuddin from 6 a.m..

Saddam and his seven co-accused have been charged with crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shiite villagers after a failed attempt assassination in the town of Dujail in 1982.

If convicted, Saddam will face death penalty by hanging, which is feared to worsen violence that kills dozens of Iraqis everyday.