- DUBAI (Sapa-DPA) - Lawyers
representing Saddam Hussein plan to sue the British tabloid that published
intimate photos of the deposed Iraqi dictator, Al-Jazeera television reported
yesterday, quoting the head of the defence team.
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- The photos in The Sun, one of which shows Saddam wearing
only his underpants, are a "violation of human rights and in contravention
of the Geneva Convention" on treatment of prisoners, Ziad Khassawneh
was quoted as saying.
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- Khassawneh said his team would "pursue all the necessary
legal steps to see to it that those who commit such base acts against any
prisoner, and especially against president Saddam, are punished."
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- "Analysis of the photos shows that they were taken
inside the place where (Saddam) is being detained," he said, adding
that their publication in The Sun "adds to a series of violations
of the Iraqi people's rights committed by the American administration".
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- Under the headline Tyrant's in his pants, The Sun ran
a front-page photo of a bare-chested Saddam standing in white underwear
and holding an item of clothing as he appeared to be getting dressed.
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- In the accompanying article, along with other intimate
photographs of him, the mass-circulation daily quotes US military sources
as saying they handed over the photos in the hope of dealing a body blow
to the resistance in Iraq.
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- "Saddam is not superman or God; he is now just an
ageing and humble old man. It's important that the people of Iraq see him
like that to destroy the myth," the source was quoted as saying.
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- "Maybe that will kill a bit of the passion in the
fanatics who still follow him," the source said.
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- "It's over, guys. The evil days of Saddam's Baath
Party are never coming back - and here's the proof."
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- In Baghdad, a US military spokesman said the military
was investigating the photos of Saddam to find out who took them and decide
what kind of disciplinary action should be taken.
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- Al-Jazeera itself said that it chose not to publish the
photos for "professional and moral reasons".
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- US tabloid newspaper, The New York Post, ran the same
photo on its front page as did The Sun, under the banner headline Butcher
of Sagdad. The intimate photo, along with three other pictures, were billed
as an "exclusive" borrowed from The Sun.
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- Both newspapers are owned by Australian-born media tycoon
Rupert Murdoch.
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- lThe US military said the published pictures of Saddam
Hussein in his underwear were taken in a violation of Pentagon policies
and possibly the Geneva Convention.
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- In a statement, the military said it is unclear who took
the picture but that an investigation is underway.
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- "These photos were taken in clear violation of (Department
of Defence) directives and possibly Geneva Convention guidelines for the
humane treatment of detained individuals," the statement said.
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- The coalition forces in Iraq are "disappointed at
the possibility that someone responsible for the security, welfare, and
detention of Saddam would take and provide these photos for public release,"
the statement said.
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- "We take seriously our responsibility to ensure
the safety and security of all detainees."
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- The military believes the pictures were taken over a
year ago.
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- http://www.dispatch.co.za/2005/05/21/Foreign/asaddam.html
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