Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

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Last time we had sailors captured by Iran in 2004, they were subjected to mock executions... would that count as duress?

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Wow, I wasn't familiar with the previous incident. Here's a link discussing it:
link

If that link is a fair representation of the previous incident, then, IMO, by far the most likely scenario is that the confessions that have been aired were tortured or otherwise coerced out of the Brits.

Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

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Do you suppose that the sailors "admitting to being in Iranian waters" means anything? What do you suppose "under duress" means? The sailors are right now under extreme duress.

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Prove it.

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How can they NOT be under duress in their current situation, regardless of whose waters they were in? Are you sure you know what "duress" means? They could have been treated very well yet their current situation inherently places them under duress.

Simply put, the fact that they know that cooperating with what their captors would wish them to say, is likely to produce better results or better treatment for themselves (versus non-cooperation) means that anything they say about theeir captors or treatment may be disregarded as having been influenced by implied if not actual coercion.

If you were a hostage would you dare to publicly criticize your captors? Of course not, and saying positive things about your captors might even save your life. That is why they are under considered to be under duress.

Finally, an Iranian spokesman said that the captive sailors may be unnerved by hearing chants of "Death to America!" from crowds or from guardsmen.

The reason I am explaining this is because you seemed to think that their word that they had trespassed in Iranian waters could possibly be taken at face value. That isn't the case, given their situation.

Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

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Last time we had sailors captured by Iran in 2004, they were subjected to mock executions... would that count as duress?

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I bet a lot of peopl ein history were subject to duress. So what?

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So you can't rely on what people under duress say. The publicly aired "confessions" of the British sailors must therefore be taken with a grain of salt.

Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

thats a pretty broad deffinition of duress, by that deff. it seems that i have been under duress my entire life. As I should cooperate with parents, police, friends or else face a (perhaps unspoken) threat of retaliation.

You just never know if criticising your best friend could get you killed!

Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

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thats a pretty broad deffinition of duress, by that deff. it seems that i have been under duress my entire life. As I should cooperate with parents, police, friends or else face a (perhaps unspoken) threat of retaliation.

You just never know if criticising your best friend could get you killed!

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It's a bit different when you are being held by a hostile country which has mobs wanting to kill Americans - and they chant "Death to America!" - and the penalty for spying is death and you have been told you may be tried. Seriously, don't you think that places the sailors under duress?

Re: Iran Hostage Crisis 2.0
 

I am sure only CIA-Approved interogation techniques have been used. Maybe some frat house type tom foolery thrown in.

A little waterboarding, anyone?
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