Posted on 05/20/2005 2:18:22 PM PDT by Cornpone
Saddam Hussein plans to take legal action after a British newspaper published photos of him half-naked in his prison cell and doing his washing. "We will sue the newspaper and everyone who helped in showing these pictures," said Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer Ziad Al-Khasawneh, speaking from Jordan.
The Sun newspaper said it would fight any legal action and said it planned to publish more photos on Saturday.
The US has launched an investigation into how the photos were leaked.
The US military and legal experts said the photos - possibly taken more than a year ago - may breach Geneva Convention rules on the humane treatment of prisoners of war.
The conventions say countries must protect prisoners of war in their custody from "public curiosity".
Saddam Hussein is being held by US troops at an undisclosed location in Iraq as he awaits trial on numerous charges, including murdering rivals, gassing Iraqi Kurds and using violence to suppress uprisings.
'Aggressive' investigation
The photos show the 68-year-old former leader with a moustache, rather than the beard he sported when he was captured in December 2003, and again when he appeared in court last July.
The Sun's front page showed him wearing a pair of white underpants.
Other pictures show him washing his trousers, shuffling around and sleeping.
The Sun quoted US military sources who said they handed over the pictures in the hope of dealing a blow to the resistance in Iraq.
"It's important that the people of Iraq see him like that to destroy the myth," the paper's source was quoted as saying.
However, several Arab commentators have suggested the photos could increase anti-American feeling in the region.
Khaled al-Maeena, the editor of Saudi Arabia's Arab News told the BBC the photos would be seen as "an insult and an affront".
The Sun's managing editor Graham Dudman defended the decision to publish the images.
"People seem to forget that this is a man who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children and all that's happened to him is someone has taken his picture," he told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.
"This is a sort of modern-day Adolf Hitler. These pictures are an extraordinary iconic news image that will still be being looked at the end of this century."
A statement from the US military said it was "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 US military would "aggressively" investigate, the statement said.
But President George W Bush said he did not think the photos would encourage insurgents in Iraq.
"I don't think a photo inspires murderers. I think they're inspired by an ideology that's so barbaric and backwards that it's hard for many in the Western world to comprehend how they think."
<< Just out of curiosity, how many Iraqis so far have been executed for war crimes?
The answer ... Zero
We don't fight wars to win like we used to. >>
And we had better learn to with this enemy -- as had Israel -- or we shall all die -- and our Judeo-Christian/Western [IE 'Human'] Civilization with US.
"Saddam Hussein plans to take legal action after a British newspaper published photos of him half-naked in his prison cell and doing his washing. "We will sue the newspaper and everyone who helped in showing these pictures," said Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer Ziad Al-Khasawneh, speaking from Jordan."
Legal action? He'll probably be swinging from a rope before this issue ever gets a court date.
***Enter Stage Left - the ACLU! (maybe...)
But not husseling for civil rights and victim rights of the thousands raped and murdered by Saddam, his regime, and his sons.
Saddam looks in excellent health and shape for his 68 yrs.
No torture and lash marks and his head hasn't been rudely removed from his body.
Put him back in his 'spider hole' and roll in a WP grenade.
Almost as good as the Fourth of July:)
If we executed him tomorrow could he still sue?
Only in his dreams...:)
LOL ... first there were the infamous undies on the head at Abu Grab, and now undies lead the MSM breaking news once again. This will go down in history as the "Undies War". Damn ... and I just sold my Fruit of the Loom stock last week.
I believe the decision was made to allow the new Iraqi government to deal with that issue. I might be mistaken, but I don't think their justice system is expected to be entirely up and running for awhile yet. It will be interesting to see how things progress though.
Miss Iraq. Love it.
Well, all the Iraqis he had tortured and the families of Iraqis he had executed should come out and sue him. What's a little skin compared to all the bodies he had gruesomely desecrated and violated? Let's see if that lawyer of his can handle all of that.
As always, follow the money....
You wrote: Al J'(Al Jazeera) won't print those pictures because they demean Saddam but it's ok to show journalists being beheaded .....
My Reply: What a GREAT point!
N'est Pas ....
Since I'm living in France and I don't speak all that much French I get most of my entertainment ont he internet. Yesterday I was reading about all these protests all over the world, which got started becasue of the Newswek debacle. I wish new Yorkers would get together and hold a big HUGE protests outside the embassies fo the countries where the protests are going on and hold up big signboards of WTC buring!
I read on FR yesterday, that I think it was the king of Saudia Arabia who said, "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but I msut admit all terrorists are Muslims" When I see the anti American ralleys and protests by Muslims around the world holding up their Koran's I whish to remind them of what (I think it was hime) the King of Saudia Arabia said. I am starting to finally believe that the world is coming to a Holy War. Just lately I ahve become convinced, Before this I was not ready to paint a broad brush against the Muslim Religion. But seein those Koran's held up as they burned the American and British flags, I think Bush is right. The world, and to insure our safety and freedom, needs to see democracy created in more of these Muslim countries with governments uilt on human rights for all people, not based on religion.
I think the underpants photo is going to explode. I live next to Marseille France which has the largest concentration and population of muslims outside a muslim country. I wonder what the next few days will be like? I dont't think the underpants photo is going to play out all that well in the world.
I nearly lost it when I saw the pic of Saddam with Miss Nicaragua and Miss Spain - hysterical!
Saddam is going to sue for damages and distress? Welcome to Bizarro World.
Why is this clown still even alive?
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