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shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
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 Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 10:15 pm Post subject: Ten UK Soldiers Face International War Crimes Trial |
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This is horrible!! I fear for these Brits. They will probably be convicted.
If they had to beat the guy for information that could save lives, so be it!!
Better a dead enemy than soldiers coming home in caskets!!
Now you know why we refused to sign on to the International Criminal Court!!!
www.telegraph.com
| Quote: | Ten UK soldiers face international war crimes trial
By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 29/05/2005)
Up to 10 British soldiers face prosecution under international war crimes legislation - for the first time - in the single largest investigation into prisoner abuse during the Iraq War.
A British soldier stops Iraqi civilians at a checkpoint
They are being investigated over the alleged torture and death of an Iraqi civilian, who died in British military custody. The soldiers, including a decorated colonel, two Intelligence Corps interrogators - believed to be a major and a captain - and seven members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, have been told that they could face prosecution under the International Criminal Court Act.
An Army doctor with the rank of major is also under investigation for "neglect" and "failure to carry out a duty" in relation to the death.
If prosecuted, it will be the first time that British soldiers have been tried under war crimes legislation enacted in 2001, which resulted from Britain backing the establishment of the International Criminal Court. The US refused to sign up to the treaty which set up the court, precisely because it did not want its soldiers to be liable to prosecution.
All of the soldiers have been "charged" under military law and have been told that they may seek legal aid to prepare their defence, if the authorities decide to prosecute.
Last week it emerged that Col Jorge Mendonca, 41, the former commander of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order after the war, was under investigation after soldiers under his command allegedly murdered an Iraqi civilian. The Sunday Telegraph has since established that a further 10 soldiers have been charged under military law.
All the alleged offences relate to the death of Baha Musa, a hotel receptionist, who was arrested in Basra in Sept 2003. He was taken to British Army headquarters where he died the next day. A post-mortem examination found strangulation marks, a broken nose and three broken ribs.
The death was initially investigated by the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police. A file was passed to the Army Prosecuting Authority, the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service, identifying four soldiers who were allegedly responsible for beating Mr Musa to death.
A further inquiry revealed that up to 11 officers and senior non-commissioned officers within the chain of command, including an Army doctor, may have failed in their duty to ensure Mr Musa's welfare. The files on all 11 are being examined by military lawyers within the Army Prosecuting Authority.
Colleagues and senior serving officers have rallied to the support of Col Mendonca, who they described as an "unconventional" but highly respectable soldier.
More than 50 British soldiers are being investigated for alleged crimes committed during and after the war.
It is understood that the Army may decide to prosecute officers under the ICC Act rather than military law because it deals in detail with the responsibility of senior officers. The ICC was established in July 1998, after genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, to investigate crimes committed during internal conflicts.
Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP for Newark and a former infantry commanding officer, said: "Col Mendonca is being charged for political reasons. At the time of the incident he was nowhere near the scene of the alleged crime." |
_________________
“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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BuffaloJack
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 1637
Location: Buffalo, New York
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| Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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God Bless George W. Bush for having the wisdom to see through the establishment of the International Criminal Court and see it for what it is; a liberal leftist means to attack our soldiers and military personal for doing their jobs. Sometimes the lines are not so clear and soldiers are not lawyers and will make mistakes in their zeal to carry ot their missions. If Tony Blair wanted to do the right thing he'd pull the UK out of the treaty. This isn't a treaty it's a trap.
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Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71) |
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PhantomSgt
Vice Admiral
Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 972
Location: GUAM, USA
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 7:08 am Post subject: |
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How long do you think the Brits will stand for this nonsense? Even Bill Clinton recognized what a bad deal this was and refused to get it ratified.
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Retired AF E-8
Independent that leans right of center. |
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