eurekaa
07-15-2008, 04:35 PM
British military probes alleged abuse of Iraqi boy
Boy accuses troops of ****** assault in 2003 Basra operation
http://www.onlines.ws/wp-content/img/hassan_iraq-180x119.jpg
Military police are investigating an allegation that British soldiers ******ly assaulted a 14-year-old boy in Basra, a spokesperson for the British troops said Sunday.
Captain Chris Ford told AlArabiya Net News from Basra that the British Military Police had opened an investigation into the allegation on Sunday, details of which appeared in the Independent on Sunday, but that he had no information about the incident.
The newspaper alleged the boy, now 19, was attacked in May 2003 at Britain’s Camp Breadbasket base, near the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra, during an operation to arrest looters. It reports that the latest court action is part of an ongoing series of accusations about abuses at the camp that spring, some of which are reminiscent of the American prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
Allegations and defense
The allegations about the crimes committed at the camp, which is used for storing food, have been referred to the Royal Military Police as efforts to contact all concerned parties get underway.
Ford noted that Britain had more than 120,000 troops in Iraq and that incidents of prisoner abuse were minimal.
“I’ve been in Iraq since 2004 and nothing of that sort happened,” Ford told AlArabiya.net. “We’re awaiting investigation results and we’ll take strict action against violators.”
Iraqi League member Mazin Younis, however, told the Independent that he had “more than 80” witness statements alleging abuse by British troops in Basra.
Military settles other abuse case
The revelation comes after the ministry said Thursday that it would pay nearly three million pounds (5.9 million dollars) in compensation to the family of an Iraqi man who died after interrogation, also in 2003.
Baha Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, was badly beaten and died after being arrested on suspicion of being an insurgent in Basra, six months after the U.S.-led invasion in March that year.
Seven British troops were court martialled over the case last year. All but one of them were cleared. Corporal Donald Payn admitted inhumane treatment and was jailed for a year.
The 2.83-million-pound payout will be shared with eight other Iraqi men who were mistreated, the law firm Leigh Day, which represented the men, said in a statement.
The defense ministry has said that “all but a handful” of the troops who have served in Iraq had conducted themselves “to the highest standards of behavior, displaying integrity and selfless commitment.”
It added: “All allegations of abuse are investigated thoroughly and — where proven — those responsible are punished and the abused are compensated.”
Procedures and training had been improved since Mousa’s death, they said.
Related Article :
Britain to pay more than $5 million as settlement to Iraq abuse victims (http://www.onlines.ws/?p=783)
Boy accuses troops of ****** assault in 2003 Basra operation
http://www.onlines.ws/wp-content/img/hassan_iraq-180x119.jpg
Military police are investigating an allegation that British soldiers ******ly assaulted a 14-year-old boy in Basra, a spokesperson for the British troops said Sunday.
Captain Chris Ford told AlArabiya Net News from Basra that the British Military Police had opened an investigation into the allegation on Sunday, details of which appeared in the Independent on Sunday, but that he had no information about the incident.
The newspaper alleged the boy, now 19, was attacked in May 2003 at Britain’s Camp Breadbasket base, near the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra, during an operation to arrest looters. It reports that the latest court action is part of an ongoing series of accusations about abuses at the camp that spring, some of which are reminiscent of the American prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
Allegations and defense
The allegations about the crimes committed at the camp, which is used for storing food, have been referred to the Royal Military Police as efforts to contact all concerned parties get underway.
Ford noted that Britain had more than 120,000 troops in Iraq and that incidents of prisoner abuse were minimal.
“I’ve been in Iraq since 2004 and nothing of that sort happened,” Ford told AlArabiya.net. “We’re awaiting investigation results and we’ll take strict action against violators.”
Iraqi League member Mazin Younis, however, told the Independent that he had “more than 80” witness statements alleging abuse by British troops in Basra.
Military settles other abuse case
The revelation comes after the ministry said Thursday that it would pay nearly three million pounds (5.9 million dollars) in compensation to the family of an Iraqi man who died after interrogation, also in 2003.
Baha Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, was badly beaten and died after being arrested on suspicion of being an insurgent in Basra, six months after the U.S.-led invasion in March that year.
Seven British troops were court martialled over the case last year. All but one of them were cleared. Corporal Donald Payn admitted inhumane treatment and was jailed for a year.
The 2.83-million-pound payout will be shared with eight other Iraqi men who were mistreated, the law firm Leigh Day, which represented the men, said in a statement.
The defense ministry has said that “all but a handful” of the troops who have served in Iraq had conducted themselves “to the highest standards of behavior, displaying integrity and selfless commitment.”
It added: “All allegations of abuse are investigated thoroughly and — where proven — those responsible are punished and the abused are compensated.”
Procedures and training had been improved since Mousa’s death, they said.
Related Article :
Britain to pay more than $5 million as settlement to Iraq abuse victims (http://www.onlines.ws/?p=783)