On the Iraqi community in exile

"But we cannot hear their [writers'] voices. Especially those who are against the regime. They kept silent. They cannot express themselves or the tragedy of Iraq freely. We cannot hear about them. Some of them died. Some of them were jailed. Some of them were tortured. And who fled, the lucky ones succeeded in fleeing Iraqi to exile, but many, many of them died and tortured. Some of them friends of ours. And most of them now they are silent. We cannot hear them."

- Fadhil Obaid Assultani (2002)