University of Leicester - Healing hands, healing art

Paintings by Ala Bashir, an Iraqi artist who is also a surgeon and was once Saddam Hussein's personal physician, will be exhibited at the University of Leicester. The show, which will open in May, will provide a "chilling insight" into the horror of Iraq's recent history, the university said. Dr Bashir fled Iraq in 2003 and now lives near Nottingham. He exhibits all over the world and champions the "healing power of art in overcoming the horrors of war".