[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17330]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 SAYED

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, recently I heard an amazing story. For 22 
years, Jawad Amer Sayed was a dead man. Instead of fleeing into exile 
as a member of the Iraqi opposition group, he decided to stay; and for 
22 years, he hid inside a false wall he built between two rooms in his 
home.
  On April 10, the day after Saddam Hussein fell from power, Sayed 
emerged from his hideaway, to the amazement of relatives and friends. 
Only his mother, younger brother and two sisters knew what had happened 
to him. Everyone else thought he was dead.
  Saddam Hussein murdered millions. Not only did he kill those opposed 
to him; he tortured them and their families, and his brutality forced 
millions into exile from fear. Sayed's story is a testament to that 
fear. Rather than torture and death, Sayed chose solitary confinement.
  There are millions of Iraqis like Sayed who have come out of hiding 
into the light of day. Now they can talk about freedom. Now they can 
protest. Now they can worship freely. Now they can express opinions 
about their government, and now they can choose something other than 
death or confinement. They can choose liberty.

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