New Delhi: Fifteen British sailors and marines, who were pardoned and later freed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after 13 days of captivity, have now spoken out about their experience.
The captives said that they were blindfolded, bound and held in isolation. They said they faced constant psychological pressure and the threat of up to seven years in prison if they did not admit that they had strayed into Iranian waters.
"We were blindfolded, our hands were bound and we were forced up against the wall. Throughout our ordeal, we faced constant psychological pressure. Later, we were stripped and then dressed in pyjamas," a Lieutenant Felix Carman of the Royal Navy said.
"The next few nights were spent in stone cells which were approximately eight feet by six; sleeping on piles of blankets," he added.
The sailors of the British Royal Navy were detained last week by Iran on charges of “illegally entering waters.” The sailors were conducting a routine inspection of a merchant vessel at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.
Iran released them after getting their written and taped confessions that they had entered the country’s waters.
"To the Iranian people, I can understand why you were insulted by our intrusion into your waters, I'd like to say that no harm was meant to the Iranian people or its territories whatsoever," said Lt. Carman in a taped confession.
The British government dismissed the confessions, saying the sailors broke no laws.
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