Baghdad, Iraq ? Saddam Hussein dodged questions from prosecutors cross-examining him for the first time Wednesday over a crackdown against Shiites in the 1980s. But he acknowledged approving death sentences for 148 Shiites, saying he was convinced they tried to assassinate him.

At times sharp and combative but often relaxed or even smiling, the former Iraqi leader declined to confirm his signature on documents. When prosecutors presented identity cards of children whose death sentences they said he signed, he maintained they were forged.

“You can buy IDs like this in the market,” Saddam said. “Is it the responsibility of the head of the state to check the IDs of defendants and see how old they are?”

The session came a day after the tribunal indicted Saddam and six former members of his regime on separate charges of genocide for a campaign against Kurds in the 1980s that killed an estimated 100,000 people.

A separate trial will be held on those charges, possibly beginning in 45 days, though some have questioned whether the tribunal will be able to conduct two trials simultaneously.

In other developments Wednesday:

¢ More than 1,000 supporters of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari – who has refused to abandon his bid for a second term – rallied in the holy city of Karbala, urging an end to “U.S. interference” in Iraqi politics.

¢ An Iraqi cameraman working for CBS News was acquitted of insurgent activity, a year after being wounded and detained by the U.S. military after a car bombing. A three-judge Iraqi panel ruled there was insufficient evidence against Abdul Ameer Younis Hussein, 25, who was filming the bombing aftermath when apprehended.