Espionage Show Trial By Iran?
The Times of London is reporting that some folks associated with Mad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have announced that the 15 British Sailors that were captured by Iran - in Iraqi territorial waters - may be tried for espionage.
FIFTEEN British sailors and marines arrested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards off the coast of Iraq may be charged with spying.
A website run by associates of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, reported last night that the Britons would be put before a court and indicted.
Referring to them as “insurgents”, the site concluded: “If it is proven that they deliberately entered Iranian territory, they will be charged with espionage. If that is proven, they can expect a very serious penalty since according to Iranian law, espionage is one of the most serious offences.”
The warning followed claims by Iranian officials that the British navy personnel had been taken to Tehran, the capital, to explain their “aggressive action” in entering Iranian waters. British officials insist the servicemen were in Iraqi waters when they were held.
The penalty for espionage in Iran is death. However, similar accusations of spying were made when eight British servicemen were detained in the same area in 2004. They were paraded blindfolded on television but did not appear in court and were freed after three nights in detention.
As Ed Morrisey points out this morning, this is a clear and blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions. Period. The Western left screeches and shouts about America and Israel supposedly violating the conventions even when the conventions clearly state that the terrorists that both nations are fighting are illegal combatants and therefore excluded from protection under the conventions. Where is the same screeching level of outrage over a very clear violation of the rules by the nation of Iran against legally uniformed armed forces of a Western nation?
Damn. Those crickets are loud.
Other Links to this Post
-
Is Iran setting up a prisoner exchange? : The Crimson Blog — Sunday, 25 March , 2007 @ 4:24 pm
By Blackhawk, Sunday, 25 March , 2007 @ 9:32 am
You might find this bit of analysis interesting (H/T Castle):
http://themiddleground.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-they-have-wrought-what-they-will.html
By Former Republican, Sunday, 25 March , 2007 @ 3:15 pm
I’m not at all sure the Geneva Convention protects the Brit sailors and marines against prosecution for espionage. They are not prisoners of war, since there is no state of war between Iran and Britain. Notice that the bit of the Geneva Convention that Morrissey quotes contemplates that there is a “conflict.”