Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 28. november 2004 / Timeline November 28, 2004
Version 3.527. November 2004, 29. November 2004
11/28/2004
UK troops in Iraq face new court threat
By Severin Carrell,
Independent, UK
The Government has suffered a legal setback after a European court
ruling that could see British soldiers taken to court over the
deaths of Iraqi civilians in Basra.
In a landmark judgment, the European Court of Human Rights
has ruled that European troops who are in control of a foreign
country can be prosecuted under human rights law for breaching the
civil rights of local people.
It comes days before the High Court in London is due to rule on a
case involving the death of the hotel receptionist Baha Mousa and
more than 30 other Iraqis who were allegedly killed, tortured or
ill-treated by British troops after last year's war. That case
hinges on claims that British forces in Iraq are bound by the Human
Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights even outside
Europe - the same issue at the centre of the ruling by the court in
Strasbourg 12 days ago.
In a further embarrassment for ministers, it emerged yesterday that
the United Nations Committee against Torture has accused Britain of
failing to properly apply the UN Convention against Torture in its
operations in Iraq.
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