Court Told of ‘Expressions of Regret’ in Deaths
Britain defended its soldiers’ treatment of civilians in postwar Iraq on Thursday, telling a court that senior officers expressed regret to families of six people killed in incidents involving troops.
“Expressions of regret and sympathy were made at the time and mostly in person,” government lawyer Christopher Greenwood said on the second day of a test case over abuse claims.
Families of the six civilians are asking the High Court to force the government to open independent inquiries into what they say are cases of unlawful killings and mistreatment.
The hearing, which could lead to a flood of other claims, has put the spotlight back on troop conduct during the U.S.-led occupation after revelations of American soldiers’ abuse of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The most high-profile of the six cases concerns a hotel worker, Baha Mousa, who died in custody. Lawyers say he had been severely beaten.
The High Court has also heard allegations of torture at the hands of soldiers in the British-controlled southern region.
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