US military says Hussein pictures may violate Geneva Convention News
US military says Hussein pictures may violate Geneva Convention

[JURIST] The US military has strongly condemned a British tabloid's Friday publication of pictures of a semi-clothed Saddam Hussein that it says were taken "in clear violation of [Department of Defense] directives and possibly Geneva Convention guidelines for the humane treatment of detained individuals". The cover of The Sun displays a picture of the former president of Iraq wearing only his underwear, while the photos inside the publication reportedly show him washing laundry in his sink. A statement [text] by Multi-National Force-Iraq [official website] went on to say that 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. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all detainees. This lapse is being aggressively investigated to determine, if possible, who took the photos, and to ensure existing procedures and directives are complied with to prevent this from happening again.

Article 13 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War says "Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated" and protected from "insults and public curiosity"; Article 14 says they are entitled to "respect for their persons and their honour". BBC News has more.

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