Laṭīf Yaḥyā Knihy

Jako špatný příběh z Pohádek tisíce a jedné noci vyhlíží osud Latífa Jahjá – fidaie, dvojníka Udaje Husajna, prvorozeného syna prezidenta Iráku Saddáma Husajna. A přeci je vše popsané pravdou. Pro evropského čtenáře až příliš neskutečnou, bizarní a děsivou. Pět let byl Latíf Jahjá bezprostředním svědkem excesů obávaného „zloděje z Bagdádu“ Udaje Husajna. Vraždy, nejrafinovanější druhy mučení, beztrestné znásilňování žen, korupce, kořistění – to vše umožňovalo postavení prezidentova syna v absurdním systému Saddámova Iráku.

When Latif Yahia, scion of one of Iraq's wealthiest families, was summoned from the front in the Iran-Iraq war to Saddam Hussein's inner sanctum, the Palace of the Republic, he was given a choice: become the double of Saddam's eldest son Odai ... or else. Latif underwent surgery to modify his appearance and was trained to move, speak, and behave exactly like Odai Hussein. Torture videos were shown to dull his feelings. As the stand-in for Odai, one of lraq's most powerful and hated men, he took part in affairs of state, business negotiations, parties, and, during the Gulf War, visits to the troops on the front lines (while Odai stayed safely away). He also saw firsthand the crimes and absurdities of a regime based on corruption and intrigue. He was privy to extraordinary scenes of debauchery, and witnessed repeated instances of torture, terror, rape, and murder. When Saddam's soldiers plundered Kuwait, Latif was there, both the tool of his master and the recorder of Iraqi atrocities. After years of service to Odai, Latif escaped through Kurdistan, where he found refuge with American forces. Providing a unique window on a closed society, this remarkable document reveals the horrors of lraq's despotic regime and portrays the psychopath who may one day inherit Saddam's power.