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MoD accused of withholding evidence of 'shocking' treatment of Iraqi civilians
Source: The Guardian
MoD accused of withholding evidence of 'shocking' treatment of Iraqi civilians
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 July 2012 16.31 BST
The Ministry of Defence has been accused of withholding evidence of "truly shocking" treatment of civilians in an incident involving the most serious allegations made so far against British forces in Iraq.
Interrogations by British military personnel involved "young men of 18, 19, and 20, some seriously injured with gunshot wounds, being stripped naked, forced to stand, not given appropriate medical treatment, and threatened with violence whilst still under the shock of capture in the middle of the night", said Patrick Connor QC, counsel for the Iraqi detainees.
He was addressing a hearing relating to the public inquiry into allegations that British soldiers murdered a number of Iraqis and abused others in May 2004 after the soldiers had been involved in a fierce gun battle. The battle became known as the Battle of Danny Boy, a British military checkpoint near Majar al-Kabir, north of Basra.
The inquiry, known as the al-Sweady inquiry after one of the alleged victims, was forced on the MoD in 2009 after high court judges accused it of "lamentable" behaviour and "serious breaches" of its duty of candour over the failure to disclose crucial information about allegations of murder and ill-treatment by British troops.
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Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 July 2012 16.31 BST
The Ministry of Defence has been accused of withholding evidence of "truly shocking" treatment of civilians in an incident involving the most serious allegations made so far against British forces in Iraq.
Interrogations by British military personnel involved "young men of 18, 19, and 20, some seriously injured with gunshot wounds, being stripped naked, forced to stand, not given appropriate medical treatment, and threatened with violence whilst still under the shock of capture in the middle of the night", said Patrick Connor QC, counsel for the Iraqi detainees.
He was addressing a hearing relating to the public inquiry into allegations that British soldiers murdered a number of Iraqis and abused others in May 2004 after the soldiers had been involved in a fierce gun battle. The battle became known as the Battle of Danny Boy, a British military checkpoint near Majar al-Kabir, north of Basra.
The inquiry, known as the al-Sweady inquiry after one of the alleged victims, was forced on the MoD in 2009 after high court judges accused it of "lamentable" behaviour and "serious breaches" of its duty of candour over the failure to disclose crucial information about allegations of murder and ill-treatment by British troops.
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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/19/mod-accused-evidence-iraqi-civilians
