Defence Secretary Ainsworth yesterday conceded in High Court proceedings that there must be an investigation into whether UK soldiers murdered a number of Iraqis in a detention facility in SE Iraq on May 14/15 2004, and tortured another nine survivors.
On May 14 2004, there was a major firefight at a checkpoint near Amara in Maysan Province. It was the UK government’s case that following this battle, 20 dead Iraqis were taken to a UK military facility known as Camp Abu Naji (CAN) and another nine Iraqis were captured and taken to the same facility.
What is beyond question is that the UK soldiers returned 20 dead Iraqis in body bags to the Iraqi authorities the following day.
At the time of the incident many Iraqi families demonstrated in public as they believed that their relatives had been taken alive to CAN and murdered.
Mazin Younis, representing the Iraqi families, said outside the High Court that the ruling for an inquiry into the murder and mutilation of Iraqi prisoners of war, while in British Military custody, marked a great historical victory.
He said: ‘It is a great day for the families who have been waiting a long time for an investigation into the circumstances to what they believe was murder and torture to death of their sons.
‘It will open the door for many other cases in southern Iraq.
‘It is a historical day because it is the first time the Ministry of Defence has conceded to holding a public inquiry into allegations of this magnitude. The whole issue is huge.
‘The events took place inside British military headquarters and must have been seen by a lot of officers.
‘If true, quite a few officers had a role in the abuse. We may see heads rolling.’
Solicitor Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers said that the judges were very clear that the Royal Military Police had not investigated the abuse thoroughly.
He said: ‘They did not interview any of the guards on duty, and the judicial review was not conducted properly.
‘It was a cover up from the beginning and, if not for the court ruling, it would have stayed covered up.
‘The Red Cross, who saw the bodies a few days after the beatings, said all the dead had facial injuries consistent with being abused.
‘The judges said that the MoD had been sitting on this year after year, and it is “lamentable and deplorable” for the government to deceive the court.
‘The government has a high duty to be candid with the court. Material was withheld that should not have been withheld’, Shiner concluded.
