 Latif Yahia (l) was played by Dominic Cooper in The Devil's Double
An Iraqi exile who claims he was forced to become the body double for dictator Saddam Hussein's son has said he is in a legal limbo as he fights to become an Irish citizen.
Despite being married to an Irish woman and having an Irish child, Latif Yahia's application for citizenship has been rejected twice. His battle is now in its 11th year. Yahia, a former lieutenant in the Iraqi army, said he was forced to become the "fiday" - or double - of Uday Hussein in 1987. Saddam Hussein and both his sons used decoys for important political occasions, or in situations where a bullet catcher might be needed. Yahia, who eventually managed to escape Iraq with the help of the CIA, claims he stood in for Uday when addressing troops during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Yahia eventually settled in Daingean, County Offaly, where he married an Irish woman. This week, Dearbhail McDonald, the Irish Independent's Legal Editor spoke to Yahia, who is in currently in Belgium. She told the BBC: "He said he is very hurt and upset that the Justice Minister, Alan Shatter, has so far refused to make a decision in his case.
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 Latif Yahia with his wife Karen and daughter Dina
Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor.
AN Iraqi exile who claims he was forced to become the body double of dictator Saddam Hussein's playboy son Uday says he is "in a legal limbo" as his fight to become an Irish citizen enters its 11th year. Despite being married to an Irish woman, and having an Irish child, Latif Yahia's application for citizenship has been rejected twice. The former army captain, who has been waiting for more than five years for a decision on his third citizenship application, was involved in a movie about his experience as a "fidi" or body double, which were widely used by Saddam's regime. The 2011 movie, 'The Devil's Double', starred British actor Dominic Cooper, who won critical acclaim for his portrayal of both Mr Yahia and Uday, Saddam's sadistic eldest son. Mr Yahia told the Irish Independent that he finds it "hurtful and humiliating" that he has not yet received a decision from Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who has been credited with reducing waiting times for decisions in citizenship applications. |
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February 2015
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