UN General Assembly
2003

﻿Today I stand before the Assembly representing the voice of the Iraqi citizen who long suffered from cruelty within and outside his homeland. Those within his country inflicted on him the worst kinds of torture: they attacked his honour, assaulted his family, humiliated him, shackled him, oppressed him and forced him into miserable wars. His brothers and his friends in the region not only remained silent, ignored him and turned a blind eye to his catastrophe, they also criticized and faulted him the moment he dared to speak up. And throughout the world, those who stood to benefit scrambled to do business and cooperate with his torturer. Very few accepted and spoke the truth; very few considered the catastrophe of their fellow human being and declared that he was a victim. He heard no response to his appeals. So the Iraqi citizen remained lost and doubly persecuted — first, with the injustice of the sword with which the dictatorial regime attacked him at home, and then with the injustice of criticism —