Iran uses female captive in war of words

[Snowden]

Iran uses female captive in war of words



Marine Nathan Summers (left), Faye Turney and another captive colleague as shown in the al-Alam video

Philippe Naughton

Iran today published another letter from the captured sailor Faye Turney in which she complained of being "sacrificed" to the policies of the "Bush and Blair governments" and called for British troops to be pulled out of Iraq.

The letter was released by the Iranian Embassy in London only hours after the broadcast of a videoed "confession" by a Royal Marine, who was also among the 15 naval personnel seized at gunpoint on a shipping patrol in the Gulf a week ago. The Foreign Office attacked the decision to release the statements as "outrageous".

Leading Seaman Turney's letter was the third released in three days and appeared somewhat less convincing in tone and language than the previous two. Addressed "To British People" and dated Tuesday, it compared her own treatment in captivity to that of Iraqi detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

Tonight, the European Union (EU) waded into the row with the most robust statement by any international organisation so far, backing Britain's claim that the sailors and Marines were not in Iranian waters, that they were simply doing a routine patrol in Iraqi territory under a UN mandate, and demanding their immediate release.

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In a press conference, Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, indicated he would telephone Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, to personally convey the message.

Ms Turney's letter, released earlier in the day, said: "I am writing to you as a British serviceperson who has been sent to Iraq, sacrificed due to the intervening policies of the Bush and Blair governments.

"We were arrested after entering Iranian waters by the Iranian forces. For this I am deeply sorry. I understand that this has caused even more distrust for the people of Iran, and the whole area of the British (sic).

"The Iranian people treated me well and have proved themselves to be caring, compassionate, hospitable, and friendly. For this I am thankful. I believe that for our countries to move forward, we need to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq, and leave the people of Iraq to start rebuilding their lives.

"I have written a letter to the people of Iran apologising for our actions. Whereas we hear and see on the news the way prisoners were treated in Abo-Ghraib and other Iraqi jails by the British and American personnel, I have received total respect and faced no harm."

It concluded: "It is now our time to ask our government to make a change to its oppressive behavior towards other people. Whereas we hear and see on the news the way that prisoners were treated in Abu Ghraib and other Iraqi jails by the British and American personnel, I have received total respect and faced no harm."

The letter further raised the temperature in the bitter stand-off over the detention of the seven Marines and eight sailors, who were detained while carrying out routine shipping inspections in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which forms the border between Iran and Iraq.

Iran says that their two patrol boats had strayed into Iranian waters. Britain insists that they were in Iraqi territorial waters, operating under a UN mandate and with the authorisation of the Iraqi Government.
But whereas Britain has tried to enlist diplomatic support for its demand that the sailors be freed, Iran has embarked on a propaganda battle reminiscent of the hostage sagas in 1980s Beirut.

Today's video broadcast was part of that battle. Shown on Iran's Arabic language channel. It showed a young Marine, looking relaxed in combat gear and with a few days of stubble, sitting in a tiled room in front of a pink-flowed plastic curtain.

The IRNA news agency named the Marine as Nathan Thomas Summers and quoted him as saying: "We entered Iranian waters without permission and we were arrested by coast guards. I would like to apologise to Iranian people."

The channel also broadcast footage of the Marine and another male colleague sitting either side of Leading Seaman Turney.

Tehran has already reneged on a promise to release the 26-year-old, who has a young daughter. After releasing a letter to her family on Wednesday, last night it released a second addressed to "representatives of the Commons" in which she called for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.

Reacting to the Iranian tactics today and the latest video, Tony Blair said: "I don’t know why the Iranian regime keeps doing this - all it does it heightens people’s sense of disgust. Captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way, it doesn’t fool anyone.

"And what the Iranians have to realise is that if they continue in this way they will face continued isolation."

Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, added: "It is quite appalling and it is completely contrary to normal international convention to use people who are detained against their will, who have been detained for days now, to whom consular access is denied ... to use them for blatant propaganda in this way."

After securing only a disappointingly weak UN Security Council statement on the crisis, Britain's diplomatic efforts appeared to be bearing fruit tonight with a robust declaration by the EU, and press conference which followed it.

The EU statement said it "deplores" the continued detention of the sailors and marines and that it "underlines the European Union’s unconditional support for the government of the United Kingdom".

"All evidence clearly indicates that at the time of the seizure, the British Naval personnel were on a routine patrolling mission in Iraqi waters in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1723," the statement continued.

"The seizure by Iranian Forces therefore constitutes a clear breach of international law.

"The European Union repeats its call for the immediate and unconditional release of the British Royal Naval personnel. The European Union furthermore calls on Iran to immediately inform the government of the United Kingdom about the whereabouts of the British Naval personnel and grant consular access. The fundamental rights of all prisoners in Iran must be scrupulously respected.

"The EU Foreign Ministers requested the High Representative to present the EU position to the Iranian government.

"Should the UK citizens not be released in the near future, the EU will decide on appropriate measures."

Mr Solana, speaking at a press conference to mark the release of the statement, said he was treating the arrest as an attack on the whole of the EU. "What happens to ... any country in the union happens to the whole European Union," he said.

"We are talking about citizens of the EU, and therefore the EU collectively is going to react."

Adding that he would telephone Mr Ahmadinejad to stress his point, Mr Solana added: "I will try to talk on the telephone to the President to pass the clear message that this is a mistake and this is not the way that a country that is part of the international community should behave."


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