http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2004Jan9.html

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U.S. Formally Declares Hussein Enemy Prisoner Of War

Reuters
Friday, January 9, 2004; 1:02 PM


The United States has formally declared former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, captured Dec. 13 and held by U.S. forces, as an enemy prisoner of war, the Pentagon said Friday.


Air Force Maj. Michael Shavers, a Pentagon spokesman, said Hussein is entitled to and is being given all the rights due him under the Geneva Convention for enemy prisoners of war. Shavers said the declaration of his status did not change the conditions under which U.S. forces are holding Saddam.

"The bottom line is that Saddam Hussein was the leader of the old regime's military forces, and therefore he was a member of the military, and he was captured. That makes him an enemy prisoner of war," Shavers said.

Officials said the decision on Hussein's status was finalized this week.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked during a news briefing Tuesday about whether Saddam had been given the status of a prisoner of war, but declined to answer beyond saying, "He is in good hands" and "being treated under the privileges of the Geneva Convention."

"It's unusual that you have such a high-ranking enemy prisoner of war. So I think we just wanted to make sure that we had carefully thought through all the ramifications," Shavers said.

U.S. officials have said the 66-year-old former president is being interrogated at an "undisclosed location" inside Iraq after being seized in a hole during a raid on a farm in a village near his hometown of Tikrit last month

[ 01-09-2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

I'm still waiting to see his book deal. :D

If he lives long enough, I hear he has cancer and has just a few years left.

Mark

Celebrity boxing!

Two or three weeks after he was captured.. damn i almost forgot about it.. good thing i was reminded he was officially a pow now.. lest i forget him altogether!

As a law-abiding citizen, I'm glad to see that he's been accorded POW status and thus his treatment is restricted to a certain set of rules.

As a human being, I really wish we could treat him as he treated his own people (the ones who wouldn't kiss his ass)............

Put him in a pit with Bush...Bring em on !!!See how you do on the front lines Georgie boy!!

Curious, either Saddam spilled his guts or successfully resisted interrogation as now that he is formally gauranteed genenva convention protection the only information he has to give is name, rank, and serial number. Also dubious interrogation techniquies like food and sleep deprivation are ruled out now as well.

I wonder what gain is sought by officially delcaring him POW, rather than designating him enemy combaten,t which would allow for the same kind of mind-f*cking that the Gitmo detainees are probably getting.

Agree with Garnet wholeheartedly. I'm very glad he wasn't declared an "enemy combatant."

I believe he officially can't appear in front of one of the already existing Iraqi courts now because of this POW-status.