Sailors can sell stories to media
Britain’s ministry of defence has come under fire for allowing 15
sailors and marines held by Iran for 13 days to sell their stories to
the media.
military personnel from selling their stories because of huge public
interest in the case.
circumstances."
reports estimated may run into hundreds of thousands of dollars between
them.
The 15
were freed last Thursday after being seized by Iranian forces in the Shatt
al-Arab waterway between Iraq and Iran.
Iran said they were detained for entering its waters
illegally, Britain said they were in Iraqi waters.
Several of the sailors and marines, particularly the only
woman among them, Faye Turney, have become well known after they were shown
repeatedly on Iranian television during the standoff.
On their return to Britain, the personnel said that in
Iran they had been blindfolded, bound, kept in isolation and told that they
faced up to seven years in jail.
Opposition anger
William Hague, foreign affairs spokesman of the opposition
Conservative party, said the armed forces would gradually lose dignity and
respect if military personnel were allowed to sell their stories whenever
they had been in a difficult situation.
Hague said: "There are incredible acts of heroism … on a
weekly, daily basis sometimes in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq but they
are not written about."
Menzies Campbell, leader of the opposition Liberal
Democrats, predicted a public backlash against the decision to let the
personnel sell their stories because in the same week they came home safely,
six more British soldiers were killed in Iraq.
‘Propaganda exercise’
Bob Stewart, a colonel and former commander of British
peacekeeping forces in Bosnia, said the decision to let them publish was
unprecedented and called the capture "hardly one of the most glorious annals
of royal naval history".
Max Clifford, Britain’s best-known celebrity agent, said
letting the sailors and marines tell their story was "purely a propaganda
exercise".
Clifford said: "The ministry of defence are very keen for
them to do it … the public are more likely to believe them than they are
the ministry of defence or the politicians."
Defending itself in the face of the outcry, the ministry
of defence said on Sunday it had granted permission to ensure the navy and
the ministry "had sight" of what the former detainees were going to say.
Random Posts
Stumble it!
