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British troops can sell their tales of terror

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 9, 2007

LONDON - The 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran for nearly two weeks have permission to sell their stories to the media, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday, making an exception because of what it called "exceptional" interest.

Serving service personnel are usually not allowed to enter into financial arrangements with media organizations, but exceptions are allowed, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"It was clear that the stories they had to tell were likely to have emerged via family and friends regardless of any decision the navy took," the ministry statement said.

Lt. Felix Carman, who was in charge of the crew when it was seized by Iranian forces on March 23, told the British Broadcasting Corp. that he was uninterested in making money from his time in captivity.

"My main aim is to tell the story," he said. "There's some people who might be making money, but that's an individual's decision, that's very private, but that's not something that myself or many of the others will do," he said.

After their release last week, the crew members told reporters in Britain that they were subjected to constant psychological pressure in detention.

In an attempt to refute that claim, Iran broadcast new video Sunday showing some of the crew members playing chess and watching television during their captivity.

At a news conference Friday, Carman said the sailors and marines were only allowed to socialize for the benefit of the Iranian media.

British media regularly pay for high-profile interviews, but the decision to allow the crew members to sell their stories has caught some flak.

The Sunday Times reported that the only woman in the group, 26-year-old Leading Seaman Faye Turney, could earn as much as $300,000 from deals with a broadcaster and a newspaper. In all, the crew members could earn as much as $490,000 between them, the paper said.

[Last modified April 9, 2007, 01:32:56]