Saddam may sue over underwear photos News
Saddam may sue over underwear photos

[JURIST] Saddam Hussein's family has approached a leading London media lawyer about suing the Sun [newspaper website] for publishing secretly-taken pictures [JURIST report; BBC photo] of the former Iraqi leader in his underwear. Hussein's Iraqi lawyers also threatened to sue the paper for $1M after the photos were released. Some believe the deposed Iraqi president has a good chance of winning a misuse of private information claim, a new form of action which has developed under Britain's Human Rights Act [text], because there is little public interest in showing him partially dressed. Others argue "the Sun's public interest defense was that they were showing that he was fit and healthy and wasn't being treated the way a mass murderer should." Even if Saddam were to prevail in such a case, damages awarded would likely be very small. The Guardian has more.