British publisher drops book on Bush-Saudi links over libel fears

British publisher drops book on Bush-Saudi links over libel fears


By JILL LAWLESS
The Associated Press
4/1/04 3:29 PM


LONDON (AP) -- A new book about the links between U.S. and Saudi political dynasties that is a best-seller in the United States will not be published in Britain because of libel fears, its London publisher says.

Random House, which last week dropped plans to publish Craig Unger's "House of Bush, House of Saud," on Thursday accused Britain's "draconian" libel laws of stifling free speech. Publishers' fear of libel action has been heightened by recent successful lawsuits by figures accused of terrorist links.

Unger's book looks at the relationship between the Bush family and the Saudi royal family and its effect on U.S. foreign policy. It has been praised as an eye-opening investigation and condemned as a paranoid, partisan rant.

In an article published Thursday in The Bookseller magazine, Random House deputy chairman Simon Master wrote that "U.K. libel laws and legal processes are stifling legitimate ... and responsible freedom of speech."

more: http://www.nj.com/breakingnews/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0659_BC_Britain-TerrorismBook&&news&tradecentercrash

not so in the UK?

When Kitty Kelly's book about the Royals came out, they couldn't publish it in the UK because their libel laws make it too easy to sue. So if you were English and wanted to read it, you had to get your copy from the U.S.

...because the cat is already out of the bag over here.