April 08, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 1428

TEHRAN, Iran, April 7: An adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied on Saturday that 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iran had been mistreated, saying they had made such claims under pressure from their superiors.

“The mistreatment of the sailors is a lie,” said Ali Akbar Javanfekr, top press spokesman for the president.

“The British authorities should know that they cannot keep hiding the truth from the British people,” he said.

“We envisioned that the 15 sailors would be subjected to pressure by British security and intelligence forces. For that reason, President Ahmadinejad asked Prime Minister Tony Blair not to put pressure on the sailors for having told the truth, but (he) did not hear this humanitarian appeal, Javanfekr said.

“London's attitude was foreseeable, because expression of the truth by the sailors would have been a challenge to the British government and army.

“By dictating certain statements made by the freed troops, the British authorities are seeking to improve their situation and diminish the pressure of British public opinion.” The 15 British naval personnel held by Iran told on Friday how they were stripped, blindfolded and handcuffed as part of “psychological” intimidation during their detention.

A day after their return to Britain following 13 days in captivity, they said they feared for their lives if they resisted and that they were threatened with seven years in jail if they did not confess to being in Iranian waters.

Royal Navy Lieutenant Felix Carman told a press conference of the mind games he said were used by their captors to get information and confessions.

“When we first went to prison we were put up against the wall, hands bound, blindfolded and people were cocking weapons in the background, which as you can imagine is an extremely nerve-wracking occasion.” Javanfekr, commenting on the claims, said Tehran could have organised its own “meeting of the sailors with journalists in Iran so that they could ask whatever they wanted but it did not do so to avoid the sailors having problems” when they got home.

The eight sailors and seven Royal Marines were captured in the northern Gulf on March 23 while carrying out what they said was a routine anti-smuggling operation in Iraqi territorial waters. Iran insists that they had illegally entered its waters.—AFP