Inquiries into killing of Iraqis 'flawed' (UK)

[Barrett808]

Inquiries into killing of Iraqis 'flawed'
Owen Bowcott
Friday July 30, 2004
The Guardian

Investigations into the killing of Iraqi civilians by British troops are fundamentally flawed, the high court heard yesterday. Many have not even resulted in autopsies of the victims.

Often only one side of the story - from the soldiers involved - has been obtained, Rabinder Singh QC told the judical review hearing in London. Other witnesses have rarely been asked to give statements.

Ballistics reports determining whose weapons fired the fatal shots have not been provided in five of the six test cases before the court, he said. In one case an army adjutant wrote a letter urging that an inquiry by the military Special Investigations Branch (SIB) be stopped.

Detailing a litany of failures, Mr Singh alleged that the standard of investigations by the forces and the Royal Military police (RMP) were insufficient to meet the requirements imposed upon the British government by the European con vention on human rights and the Human Rights Act.

The families of six Iraqi civilians allegedly killed by British troops are attempting to force the government to hold a "full and independent inquiry" into more than 30 deaths.

(more)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1272525,00.html

[struggle4progress]

1. kick

:kick: