BAGHDAD, Iraq (Agencies) -- A stiff curfew will be imposed in Baghdad and two Iraqi provinces on Sunday ahead of the verdict and sentencing in the trial of Saddam Hussein.

A complete movement ban -- both people and vehicles -- will be imposed in the capital and in Salaheddin and Diyala provinces starting at 6 a.m. Sunday until further notice, the Iraqi prime minister's office told CNN.

Baghdad International Airport will also be shut down on Sunday until further notice.

Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader al-Obeidi on Friday canceled leave for all army officers, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

In addition to the curfew, more "security measures are under consideration", National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie told reporters on Friday.

One by one the eight defendants, including Hussein, will file into the courtroom Sunday to receive their sentences from a five-judge panel. Hussein's verdict -- which could be the death penalty for crimes against humanity -- is expected to be announced last.

The defendants are on trial for crimes stemming from a brutal crackdown against citizens in the town of Dujail after an attempt on Hussein's life in 1982.

People were jailed and tortured, and the government is suspected of ordering the execution of 148 people.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said: "I hope the verdict will be what this man deserves for what he committed against the Iraqi people. "Therefore the Iraqi people will express their joy in the way they see appropriate; we will call on them in an address tomorrow to remain calm and show constraint and express this joy in an appropriate manner that suit this nations' challenges."

He made the remarks during a meeting with tribal leaders on Saturday.

Saddam's loyalists claim the verdict was timed to boost President George W. Bush before U.S. mid-term elections on Nov. 7.

"We have to ensure the safety of Iraqi people from loyalists of Saddam, as Sunday is a historic day," said Bassam Ridha, an adviser to prime minister.

“…as part of the Iraqi government, we hope that he gets the maximum penalty for the crimes committed by him on the people of Iraq. We are looking forward to this historic moment. Iraq deserves justice," AFP quoted Ridha as saying.

Maliki has said Saddam's execution cannot come soon enough.

Even if he is sentenced to death, it may be many months, even years, before he is hanged as appeals are heard. Saddam is due back in court on Tuesday in another trial, for genocide against ethnic Kurds.