Editor—The US administration in Iraq was wrong to broadcast images of Saddam Hussein undergoing a medical examination. That there was no other film footage to show to the world's media that Saddam Hussein had been arrested is inconceivable. The only conclusion therefore is that these images were deliberately selected to humiliate.
Article 3c of the Geneva Convention prohibits outrages on personal dignity, including humiliating and degrading treatment, and article 13 states that prisoners of war must be protected against insults and public curiosity.
This recent episode must be seen in the context of the ongoing inhumane treatment of prisoners in Guantánamo Bay and the killing last month of 15 children by American forces in Afghanistan. It shows to the world that military and economic power differentiates states and world leaders rather than differences in their respect for human rights.
Competing interests: None declared.