For Iraqis who lived through the 1990s, dictator Saddam Hussein’s birthday on April 28 was a disorientating day of celebration and propaganda. Parties were staged across the sanctions-hit country to mark the occasion, while many public squares and bridges around Baghdad were decorated with coloured lights. State radio played endless songs to the glory of […]
Saddam Hussein
Doha Film Festival revisits Arab dictatorships through two powerful films
The Arab and wider Muslim world has long held a conflicted relationship with former Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. While both were widely condemned for their oppressive rule, the turmoil that followed their removal has led some to reassess their legacies. Read More: Arab women lead ‘new generation’ in documentary filmmaking […]
Saddam’s rusting yacht serves as picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen
e BASRA: Capsized in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting wreck of a yacht that belonged to Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of his iron-fisted rule that ended with the US-led invasion two decades ago. The 121-metre (396 ft) “al-Mansur”, a symbol of Saddam’s wealth and power when it was built in […]
Iraqi police arrest man selling Saddam Hussein watches in Baghdad
Police in Iraq have arrested a man selling watches in central Baghdad with images of the country’s former dictator Saddam Hussein on their faces. Since the fall of Hussein, promotion of the former leader, the regime or the Ba’ath party is prohibited. Baghdad police department said in a statement that they acted after they had […]