Saddam’s conviction may be sealed by video he had made of one of his hideous crimes against nine Baghdad merchants

The thought of people having their hands cut off for crimes they didn’t commit — or for any reason — is unimaginable. But it’s an ordeal that was captured on tape by Saddam Hussein’s henchmen and is now part of a gripping documentary entitled “Remembering Saddam”.
The poignant film depicts the story of the Baghdad merchants who were cruelly punished by Saddam in 1995 for allegedly dealing in foreign currency. The men had a 30-minute “trial” and were sent to the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. After a year, doctors surgically amputated their right hands. They also carved an X of shame into each of the men’s forehead.
“It is unique to finally hear the voices of average Iraqi's like the merchants of Baghdad and their friends and family who were cruelly abused by Saddam Hussein,” said Don North, a leading authority on journalism in Arab nations, who produced and directed the film.
In the documentary, the men return to Abu Ghraib and recounted their ordeal. Some of their family and friends, who were also brutalized, recall the experiences they suffered because of Saddam Hussein.
In March 2003, North embedded with the 101st Airborne First Brigade for the invasion of Iraq and reported to National Public Radio and Canada's CTV News. After the fall of Baghdad, he became Senior Advisor to the Iraq Media Network in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a democratic radio and TV network for Iraq. Before leaving Iraq, he produced "Remembering Saddam".

North said “Remembering Saddam” has no political agenda on either the left or right, but is simply the account of nine Iraqi's who crossed Saddam Hussein and lived to tell the story. “I don't want to be labeled a conservative or liberal documentary producer, just a journalist telling part of the story as fairly and completely as possible about a complex conflict,” he said.

North has already been featured on numerous radio talk shows and wants to continue to get this important message out. The documentary is available in DVD format at http://www.RememberingSaddam.com
To book an interview call Don North at (703) 293-9212

This release was published on openPR.