In 2003, British forces joined the US in invading Iraq. The invasion was followed by serious allegations that they had abused and tortured prisoners in their custody, resulting in at least one death. While the UK government compensated several victims, they have generally tried to impede any investigation or prosecution, shutting down the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, while secretly pressuring the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to try and have a law firm which represented their victims punished. But now, the game is up, with the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announcing that the claims of war crimes by British troops have a reasonable basis:
The chief prosecutor at the international criminal court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, has declared there is a “reasonable basis” to believe that UK soldiers committed war crimes against detainees during the Iraq conflict.
The announcement on Monday means the ICC will press ahead with its investigation into claims that British troops abused and unlawfully killed prisoners after the US-led invasion.
It came in a 74-page report delivered in New York to the annual assembly of states parties that participate in the jurisdiction of the court.
In her conclusion on the long-running inquiry into the role of British troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2008, Bensouda said: “The [prosecutor’s] office has reached the conclusion that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of the UK armed forces committed war crimes within the jurisdiction of the court against persons in their custody.”
Hopefully this means the ICC will investigate and prosecute the offences the British have refused to properly investigate and prosecute themselves. Which means we might finally see some justice for Iraq.
