British troops could face war crimes charges

A squad of British soldiers who beat a civilian to death and seriously injured eight others could be charged with war crimes.

Father of two Baha Mousa, 26, sustained 93 injuries while in the custody of the Queens Lancashire Regiment in Basra in 2003. An inquiry into Mr. Mousa's death is set to publish it's findings in the Spring and while it has no powers of prosecution, it may open the way for criminal proceedings.

Mr. Mousa and a number of other men were detained during a raid on a hotel in Basra where they worked. They were accused of being insurgents and had bags placed over their heads before being taken to a detention centre. They were then subjected to a prolonged form of torture known as "conditioning" which involves food and sleep depravation and making them stand in painful stress positions for hours on end. Conditioning was banned by the British Army in 1972 after they were brought to the European Court of Human Rights by the Irish government over the mistreatment of internees in Northern Ireland.

While in captivity, Mr. Mousa suffered a staggering 93 injuries which would appear to show that he was violently tortured before eventually succumbing to his wounds. He was the father of two young boys at the time of his death, both of whom are now orphans as their mother had died of cancer only a few weeks before his detention.

The troops responsible for his death were court martialed over the incident but all bar one were found not guilty of any wrongdoing. Corporal Donald Payne became one of the first British soldiers to be convicted of a war crime when he was found guilty of inhumanley treating civilians.

The British government has agreed to pay €3.3 million in damages to the families of Mr. Mousa and the nine other Iraqi men who were tortured.