Bidding for blood money
But even the auctioneers, who thrive on misfortune, are having hard times
“WE RELEASED even murderers,” boasted Saddam Hussein as he unlocked his jails. Prisoners cheered, but so too did Baghdad's auctioneers. Under the terms of the amnesty on October 20th, debtors got a month to satisfy their creditors, and murderers got the same time to buy off their victims' families with blood money. If they fail, they face being hauled back to jail.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Bidding for blood money”
From the November 9th 2002 edition
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