Since 1945, the United Nations and regional organizations have come together to create a world where fundamental freedoms and human dignity are respected. For the past 20 years, Iraq has moved in the opposite direction. International law forbids torture, murder, and the infliction of cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment; yet Saddam Hussein has created a system flagrantly violating these international laws and parading abuses in front of the world community. Over the past 20 years, his attacks on the Iraqi people have been persistently recorded and denounced by the international community.

The United Nations Security Council "condemns the attempts by Iraq to alter the demographic composition of the population of Kuwait...."

The United Nations Security Council "condemns the repression of the Iraqi civilian population in many parts of Iraq...."

After his 1999 trip to Iraq, Max van der Stoel, UN Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights in Iraq, reported the following to the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights:

"I received their testimonies, ranging from individuals who showed me their scars and wounds from torture to the hundreds of Kurdish women who held up their fingers indicating the numbers of family members who had been taken by the Iraqi authorities and subsequently disappeared."

"The prevailing regime of systematic human rights violations is contrary to Iraq's many international obligations...."

"Saddam Hussein remains a threat to stability in the Middle East....He is still pursuing total control over the people of Iraq and is ready to engage in systematic repression...."

"The mere suggestion that someone is not a supporter of the President carries the prospect of the death penalty."

"I urge the Iraqi leadership...to seize this opportunity and thereby begin to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people."

The international community stands behind the people of Iraq. Despite Saddam Hussein's many attempts to silence the Iraqi people, their voices and stories are being heard.