British army cleared of torturing Iraqi to death
Sunday August 28, 2011 03:31:49 PM,
IANS
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London:
An inquiry into the death of an Iraqi national in British custody
in Iraq has cleared the army of systematic torture, according to a
media report.
But individual soldiers will be accused of dereliction of duty,
and the army's command chain will be criticised, the Sunday
Telegraph said of the report to be released Sep 8.
A judge probed into claims that British troops beat hotel
receptionist Baha Mousa to death in 2003.
Mousa was arrested, along with nine other Iraqis, at the Haitham
Hotel in Basra in September 2003 by the 1st Battalion of the
Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR).
Mousa was held at a detention centre under suspicion of being an
insurgent. He died two days after his arrest.
A post-mortem examination found he had suffered asphyxiation and
at least 93 injuries on his body, including fractured ribs and a
broken nose.
The ministry of defence has said more than 100,000 service
personnel served in Iraq and the vast majority conducted
themselves with "extraordinary courage, professionalism and
decency in very demanding circumstances".
Nevertheless, the actions that led to Mousa's death were "shameful
and inexcusable", it said, adding that the ministry would look
carefully at the inquiry report.
A six-month court martial concluded in April 2007.
Six members of the QLR were cleared of abusing civilian detainees,
but a seventh admitted inhumane treatment. Corporal Donald Payne
was jailed for a year and dismissed from the army.
In 2008, then defence secretary Des Browne announced a public
inquiry. The inquiry began hearing evidence in July 2009. It sat
for 115 days and heard evidence from 247 witnesses, and 101 other
witnesses provided written statements.
It was told British soldiers used on Iraqi prisoners methods such
as hooding, sleep deprivation and making them stand in painful
stress positions.
An unnamed senior army officer said: "The inquiry has found no
evidence of systematic abuse because there wasn't any."
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