On a scorching day of summer 1992, the controversy was acute between the people in that cafe which was overlooking the road in the old market at the governorate of Amarah in southern Iraq. The debatable theme was whether the Government would carry out its promise to execute the Governor’s brother, the President’s cousin who raped and killed 12- year- old girl. Some loudly said that the family of the President was above the law and norms. A young man confirmed in a cautious low voice that the most people of the city were ready to declare an unarmed disobedience. He added that the tribe of the victim had threatened to close all the roads leading to the city and assault the headquarter of the province, police stations and the building of the ruling party, swearing he saw for himself many men of that clan digging trenches around their villages.
Then, all eyes were upon a retired lawyer, who found himself in an embarrassing situation, but he decided to reveal his opinion whatever the consequences. “The accused denied the charges, but his bodyguard admitted that his master was drunk when he had strangled the girl and threw
her body in the Tigris River. The charge is fixed and undeniable; there is witnesses saw the bodyguard of the Governor’s brother and another man alighted from modern Mercedes car and kidnapped the girl near her secondary school. In the city of Amarah there are only two cars of this model, one of the governor and the other of his brother. Most people cannot buy cars only from the Russian models of Volga, Moskovich or Polish Lada and Brazilian Volkswagen or Toyota Crown and Corona,” He said.
The lawyer paused for a moment to let his listeners absorb his words: “The residents have forbidden their daughters not just from going to school but also from exceeding the doorsill till they would be assured the dominance of law and justice is applied.”
A livestock dealer confidently commented: “The President swore angrily in front of the delegation of Amarah’s people_ and as you know I was one of them_ that the court's decision to execute the offender must be implemented in the same city and before the delegation members’ eyes.
Suddenly, they silenced. The vegetables sellers’ shouting interrupted. Alhaji, who was half asleep in the bamboo chair near the entrance of his wood store beside the cafe, opened his eyes widely and his hand stayed hanging in the air with a broken edges fan made of palm leaves, when he heard a sudden uproar had raised and quickly faded. The scared people moved away from the track, and the kids resorted to the groceries or hided behind the baskets of vegetables. The fleshy butcher, who did not want to miss the painful scene, rubbed his greasy hands with bloodstained dress before he drove away a cloud of flies around his face. The old woman, the hen seller, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was on the verge of crying. One of the hens escaped from the cloth rope which was tied to her great toe. She had been frozen and could only run her bleary eyes between the running hen and the capturing of the poor insane young man, Aliwi (21 years), by two men who were recognized as members of Public Security for their safari uniforms and thick mustache. Aliwi was attempting to free himself and pursued the hen, but the two men threw him on the ground and treaded on his head. He cried sharply calling the people to help and save him, but they couldn’t do anything just looking and their eyes reflected their humiliation, oppression and frustration. The security men dragged him from the collar of his wide dirty dress as if he was a cadaver.

The old woman murmured buffeting her brown cheeks: “What is the conspiracy this peaceful insane can do?”
One of the men spat in her face, the other kicked her. Impelled by feelings of magnanimity, Alhaji jumped from his chair and objected their way begging them to release Aliwi because he had not committed any guilt. One of the men replied that His Excellency the Director of the police decided to send him to the Sanatorium where he would find good psychiatric care.
Aliwi quickly forgot what happened and looked idiotically at the two security men, who put their arms strongly around him, and at the sellers and buyers smacking his lips while his sack which was attached to his shoulder was shacking with his faltering steps.
* * *
Aliwi had not exceeded the twenty-fourth, but he had seemed much older with his skinny face and cavernous eyes and dusty beard. Alhaji had tried many times to wash his unkempt hair forcedly, but he refused saying his mother would do that, although everyone was aware that his mother was paralyzed.

His open shirt had revealed his jutting bones covered with hair, which extended from the beard even the navel. His trouser was just spaces with threads had lost its color. However, despite his dirty appearance and reckless shouting, he was beloved by the people of the town and the shopkeepers and vegetable vendors who put their baskets on the ground and nothing had protected them from the burning sun only tatters of jute bags. He did not want anything from them, but they were stopping him and put into his sack loaves of bread, bunch of vegetables, fruit, tomato and small bags of tea and sugar. That was enough for his sick mother whom he had lived with in a small hut on outskirts of the city where their only neighbor was the English soldiers’ cemetery.
A few of kids ran behind Aliwi silently. Aliwi looked at them over his shoulder and tried to free himself. Finally, he talked to the two men begging: “My friends are sad and I like to dance to make them happy.”
When he began to imitate the dance of "Albzach", which was not different from the primitive African tribes dance, but the two men prevented him from any move. The kids threw stones on them shouting: “Long live Aliwi. Long live Aliwi”
Aliwi laughed and waved his hand as the President had done on the television screen. One of the security men pulled his gun and fired in the air threatening the kids.
* * *
Director of the police talked to Minister of Interior on the measures that had been taken to implement the penalty on the following day. The Director did not believe himself when the phone rang again and the speaker was the President himself. The phone was about to drop from his hand when he heard His Excellency the President praised his patriotism, integrity and striving for justice. He was closing his eyes panting when a rancid, disgusting smell filled his nose. He waved his hand to remove it. When opened his eyes, the Direct saw Aliwi standing in front of him trembling from fear.
The security officer said: “Sir, this is the most wanted man.”
The Director glared at Aliwi with astonishment. “O my God! What is this? The features and height are the same.” He muttered.
The young man looked up at the big picture on the wall over head of the senior officer. “I have not cursed him. If I did that he will kill my mother. People always give me one hundred Fils or even one Dinar to curse him loudly, but I refuse, because I love my mom. She is waiting me now. No, I have to go back to the market to get food for her.”
The Director of the Police said with an appeasing smile: “Don’t be worried, my son, I’ll send her a tray full with different dishes.”
“Really?”
“Fried chicken, Kebab and steak and…”
Aliwi blasted in a loud laughter: “Are you crazy? She has not eaten meat.”
“Is she vegetarian?”
“What’s vegetarian? She hasn’t tasted it.”
“Okay. But, what’s about you? You’ll go with this officer to a Turkish bath while another officer would go to buy new clothes for you.”
Aliwi asked surprisingly: “Why? I just want go home. My mother waits me now. I do not like to be another person.”
When left the Building of the police Directorate, Aliwi walked quickly toward the police car cage laughing and dancing. When the car moved, he smiled to the pedestrians and his hands were stuck to the bars of the small window at the rear of the car.
* * *

Aliwi did not shut his eyes that night, but remained solitary crouching into an isolated cell. After midnight, he heard a noise in the prison, thought somebody came to take him home, but the door still closed, so he cried loudly: “I want my mother. She did not eat anything since yesterday. My mother would die from the anxiety and hunger. Do not say that the President
killed her. I did not spit on his picture. Where are my friends? Did the poor old woman find her hen? Who stole my sack?”
The Sergeant of the prison assured him that his mother was fine. Aliwi smiled and asked: “What was that noise? Did my friends, the children, come to visit me?”
“No, Aliwi. Your friends cannot leave their homes at night. That noise was from the cell of the criminal who would be executed at the following hours. All the officials came to see him.”
The young man surprisingly inquired: "Did he spit on the President’s picture?”
"He had done the worse. He raped a girl before killing and throwing her into the river.”
His tears descended and his fist strongly hit the cell bars: “What was her guilt to be killed?"
The sergeant changed the subject saying: “Now you are different; you are clean and wearing new clothes.”
Aliwi said looking at his clothes resentfully: “I don’t like it. My mother says the cleanness brings illness, and the new clothes bring envy.”

* * *
At dawn, the Director welcomed the delegation members, a doctor, a judge and a clerk. He leaded them to the prison yard where they sat on deluxe armchairs and ate delicious breakfast and drank tea and coffee. Then they received the beloved leader’s presents which were golden watches.
The Director whispered to his assistants: “Today or tomorrow you would receive your rewards; one hundred thousand dollars and Brazilian Volks Wagon for each one as a reward from His Excellency the President, Allah saves him.”
An officer asked in very low voice: “And what’s your reward, sir?”
“It is merely a plot of land on the bank of Tigers River and Mercedes Benz the latest model.”
* * *

At half past five, a few of security men broke into Aliwi’s cell and told him many of children had come and waited in the yard, and he had to be masqueraded to surprise them, so he had to be muzzled and blindfolded and heavily shackled. They took him easily to the yard.

* * *
On the stage of the gallows, he breathed deeply feeling the cold breeze titillated uncovered parts of his face, while the judge was reading loudly: “… After proving the charge of rape and murder, and due to the decision of the Criminal Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal and certifying of the His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq, it was decided to hang the criminal Staff Colonel Adel Hatem Al-Majid. This just retribution would be a lesson for each aggressive. This punishment is good evidence that no one can escape from the grip of justice even if he was the cousin of the President. We please Allah to preserve our beloved leader who has made Iraq the home of justice and human rights.”
The delegation members enthusiastically applauded. “Long live justice... Long live the equitable leader and death for the criminals.” They chanted.
Before inhaling another breath, Aliwi was swinging in the air.