Monday, April 02, 2007
15 British sailors admit to trespassing
U.K., Iran, Security
(CNN) - Iran has showed no sign of bowing to diplomatic pressure to release 15 British sailors and Marines detained for over a week with state-run media on Monday reporting that each of the captives had confessed to illegally entering Iranian waters.
Iran's state-run IRIB network said that all 15 confessed on video, but "due to certain changes in the last two days in the sensational British policies, the detailed interviews will not be aired." On Sunday, Iran's government-run networks aired video of two of the detainees admitting to trespassing in Iranian waters on March 23. Two other British sailors appeared in similar videos last week, prompting outrage in London.
The British Foreign Office called it unacceptable for such pictures to be aired and speaking last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iran of parading and manipulating the detainees. Britain and Iraq say the sailors and marines were well inside Iraqi waters when they were seized by the Iranians. Britain is demanding their release and access to the detainees, who are being held at an undisclosed location inside Iran.
The brief video clips that aired on Sunday showed two men, one at a time, standing in front of a map. The first man, who is not seen identifying himself, points to where they were "when we were seized." He says it was "apparently at this point, here, from their maps, which is inside Iranian territorial waters." IRIB and other news agencies identified him as Capt. Chris Air. He adds, "So far we're being treated very well by all the people here. They have looked after us and made sure that we're getting enough food, and we've been treated very well by them, so we thank them for that."
The second man, who identifies himself as Lt. Felix Carman, also explains where on the map the 15 British were taken. He adds, "I'd like to say to the Iranian people, I can understand why you are so angry about our intrusion into your waters." The tape then freezes. Both men are dressed in military fatigues.
Iran's state-run IRIB network said that all 15 confessed on video, but "due to certain changes in the last two days in the sensational British policies, the detailed interviews will not be aired." On Sunday, Iran's government-run networks aired video of two of the detainees admitting to trespassing in Iranian waters on March 23. Two other British sailors appeared in similar videos last week, prompting outrage in London.
The British Foreign Office called it unacceptable for such pictures to be aired and speaking last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iran of parading and manipulating the detainees. Britain and Iraq say the sailors and marines were well inside Iraqi waters when they were seized by the Iranians. Britain is demanding their release and access to the detainees, who are being held at an undisclosed location inside Iran.
The brief video clips that aired on Sunday showed two men, one at a time, standing in front of a map. The first man, who is not seen identifying himself, points to where they were "when we were seized." He says it was "apparently at this point, here, from their maps, which is inside Iranian territorial waters." IRIB and other news agencies identified him as Capt. Chris Air. He adds, "So far we're being treated very well by all the people here. They have looked after us and made sure that we're getting enough food, and we've been treated very well by them, so we thank them for that."
The second man, who identifies himself as Lt. Felix Carman, also explains where on the map the 15 British were taken. He adds, "I'd like to say to the Iranian people, I can understand why you are so angry about our intrusion into your waters." The tape then freezes. Both men are dressed in military fatigues.
The clips were shown first on the Arabic-language network Al Alam, with the Britons' sound muted and a voiceover telling what the two had allegedly said. Then the original version including the sound of the service members was shown on a different government-run channel that broadcasts in Farsi, Iran's official language.
Labels: Al Alam, Capt. Chris Air, Iran, IRIB, Lt. Felix Carman, U.K. Bristish sailors
