U.K. Army: Flaws Led To Abuse In Iraq

[Hissyspit]

Source: Al Jazeera

UK army: Flaws led to abuse in Iraq

Flaws in army training led to the abuse of Iraqis by British troops, a UK ministry of defence inquiry has found. The report by brigadier Robert Aitken, the director of army personnel strategy, released on Friday covered cases of abuse that occurred during 2003 and early 2004 when the British had military control of southern Iraq.

The inquiry, involving cases in 2003 and 2004, recommended changes in the way soldiers are trained to handle prisoners of war to ensure that such abuses are not repeated, although it emphasised that it had found no evidence that such abuse was endemic in the army.

But Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers, which has represented Iraqi civilians, dismissed the report as a "whitewash'" and said there was clear evidence that abuse had been "rife."

- snip -

-Death of Nadhem Abdullah in May 2003.
A court-martial dismissed murder charges against seven British soldiers.
-Drowning of Saeed Shabram in May 2003. No charges were filed against three soldiers investigated.
-Abuse of Iraqi looters detained in May 2003. A court-martial found four soldiers guilty of various charges.
-Beating of Iraqi youths by British soldiers during a riot in April 2004. No disciplinary action was taken.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5400BC4C-86BB-416A-93DC-A0F98072A9E5.htm

[ashandaurynsgramma]

1. Flaws in army training led to the abuse

ummm, ya think ?

[sabra]

2. No "systematic" abuse by UK troops in Iraq - report (a few bad apples)

Source: Reuters

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The British military has concluded that the killing and abuse of civilians by British troops in Iraq was not widespread but the fault of a few rogue soldiers.

Brigadier Robert Aitken, who carried out a three-year investigation into the abuses in 2003 and 2004, effectively gave the army a clean bill of health in a report released on Friday, saying that while a "tiny number" behaved extremely badly, the vast majority showed "courage, loyalty and integrity".

His findings will anger the families of four Iraqis killed at the hands of British soldiers in southern Iraq, including the relatives of Baha Musa, a young hotel worker who died under interrogation with 93 injuries to his body.

Twenty-one British soldiers and officers have been court-martialled over the deaths, but only one soldier has been convicted after he pleaded guilty.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25773265.htm

[GliderGuider]

3. What happens when you put good people in an evil place?

The Stanford Prison Experiment pt. 1 of 3

They've known for decades what happens. The key is the lack of supervision by people in authority to restrict behaviour to legal/compassionate actions.
The implications? Courts Martial must go all the way up the chain of command.

[SpikeTss]

4. Doesn't change the fact that the war itself is the supreme international crime

and all criminals involved in planning, preparation, initiation and waging the war have to be sent to The Hague, like in the comparable case of the Nuremberg trials.
Foremost of course the criminals in the White House and their henchmen: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Wolfowitz and many more!

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/imtconst.htm

The Tribunal established by the Agreement referred to m Article 1 hereof for the trial and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries shall have the power to try and punish persons who, acting in the interests of the European Axis countries, whether as individuals or as members of organizations, committed any of the following crimes.

...

(a) CRIMES AGAINST PEACE: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;

...

(c)CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

Leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts performed by any persons in execution of such plan.

[GliderGuider]

6. No disagreement from me!

This whole thing is as criminal as you can get. My point was that the people who "planned" (for lack of a better word) the invasion knew that they were going to create horrific conditions and, not only did they neglect to mitigate the damage they were going to cause, they actually worked to purposely put people into situations where it's proven that many will behave criminally.

They cannot claim ignorance when they get to the Hague.

[Barrett808]

5. rec'd n/t