DUBAI, May 20: Lawyers representing Saddam Hussein plan to sue the British tabloid that published intimate photos of the deposed Iraqi dictator, Al Jazeera television said on Friday, quoting the head of the defence team. The photos in The Sun, one of which shows Saddam wearing only his underclothing, are a “violation of human rights and in contravention of the Geneva Convention” on treatment of prisoners, Ziad Khassawneh was quoted as saying.

Mr Khassawneh said his team would “pursue all the necessary legal steps to see to it that those who commit such base acts against any prisoner, and especially against president Saddam, are punished.”

“Analysis of the photos shows that they were taken inside the place where (Saddam) is being detained, he said, adding that their publication in The Sun “adds to a series of violations of the Iraqi people’s rights committed by the American administration.” In the accompanying article, along with other intimate photographs of him, the mass-circulation daily quotes US military sources as saying they handed over the photos in the hope of dealing a blow to the resistance.

“Saddam is not superman or God, he is now just an ageing and humble old man. It’s important that the people of Iraq see him like that to destroy the myth,” the source was quoted as saying.

“Maybe that will kill a bit of the passion in the fanatics who still follow him,” the source said. “It’s over, guys.” —AFP