Saddam images distress families of suicide victims

MEDIA images of a hangman’s noose used in the execution of Saddam Hussein have distressed relatives of suicide victims who hanged themselves, it was claimed yesterday.

The death sentence executed on the former Iraqi leader on December 30 received extensive coverage across news channels and newspapers. Hanging is one of the most common methods of suicide for Irish men.

Experts on the causes of suicide have condemned the uncensored coverage of Saddam’s execution and one woman who lost her brother to suicide a year ago spoke of her upset at the media images of a hangman’s noose. The woman said: “My brother hanged himself in a garden shed at my parent’s house on New Year’s Eve last year. My family was preparing for his anniversary Mass when suddenly these images were splashed across the TV and newspapers. You couldn’t avoid them for several days. “It was very distressing for my family, especially my parents, and brought all the feelings of shock and grief of my brother’s suicide flooding back.”

The Samaritans could not confirm if their 24-hour (1850 609090) helpline service had received an upsurge in calls by people who were affected by coverage of Saddam’s execution. Fine Gael TD and president of the Irish Association of Suicidology (IAS) Dan Neville said coverage of Saddam’s execution was voyeuristic and triggered distress for many families.

The IAS, with the Samaritans, has developed media guidelines for reporting on suicide. Emily Cox, who published Suicide: Ireland’s Story in 2006 said that any irresponsible portrayal of suicide in the media may contribute to copycat acts by young or vulnerable people. The number of suicides in 2006 won’t be available for several months but a total of 433 people took their own lives in 2005 compared with 453 in 2004.