(From left) Lieutenant Felix Carman, one of the 15 freed British navy marines held in Iran, speaks alongside Adam Sperry and Simon Massey during a news conference at RMB Chivenor in south-west England last Friday. - ReutersLONDON (Reuters):
Britain's Defence Ministry came under fire yesterday for allowing 15 sailors and marines held by Iran for 13 days to sell their stories to the media.
The ministry said it had waived rules barring serving military personnel from selling their stories because of huge public interest in the case. "These are considered to be exceptional circumstances," a ministry spokeswoman said.
Some popular British news-papers pay people for their sensational stories to boost sales. The spokeswoman said the 15 would be able to keep fees which press reports estimated could total as much as 250,000 (US$493,500).
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, became well known after they were shown repeatedly on Iranian television during the stand-off.
William Hague, Foreign Affairs Spokesman of the opposition Conservative Party, said the decision to let the 15 sell their stories set an important precedent and the Conservatives would raise questions about it when Parliament reopened on April 16.
He 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.
