News / Military

Rights activists slam UK for soft-pedaling probe into Iraq war crimes

Sunday, 03 January 2016 6:50 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 03 January 2016 8:46 AM ]

An undated picture shows hand-cuffed Iraqis being guarded by a British soldier.

The UK government has come under fire for soft-pedaling the investigation into alleged unlawful killings and torture committed by British troops in Iraq.

“The incredibly slow pace at which IHAT (Iraq Historic Allegations Team) is investigating allegations of criminality committed by UK soldiers against Iraqi civilians is wholly unacceptable,” Carla Ferstman, the director of the human rights charity Redress, told the Independent.

The chairman of human rights group also called on the government to press IHAT on the issue.

“Things seem to still be moving at a snail’s pace. We call upon the Government to ensure IHAT can, and does, do what it was set up to do, and to do it now. This cannot be a whitewash,” noted.

UK troops face Iraq war crimes charges

The head of a team examining potential torture and unlawful killing during Iraq war says British veterans may face prosecution for committing war crimes in the country.

“There are serious allegations that we are investigating across the whole range of IHAT investigations, which incorporates homicide, where I feel there is significant evidence to be obtained to put a strong case before the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) to prosecute and charge,” Mark Warwick, the chairman of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), told the Independent.

The inquiry has considered at least 1,515 possible victims, of whom 280 are alleged to have been unlawfully killed.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is launching a preliminary investigation into more than 1,200 cases of war crimes including torture and rape, allegedly committed by British forces in Iraq.

According to some reports, nearly 50 Iraqis died in British custody.

Two public inquiries have already reviewed war crime allegations against UK troops in Iraq.