MANCHESTER: Baha Mousa was an Iraqi hotel receptionist who was killed by the British army in 2003. Mousa, 26, was arrested on 14 September 2003 and taken to a British base. Only two days later, he was found dead, having suffered some 90 or more injuries. The only man to be convicted in his death, former corporal Donald Payne told a public inquiry on Monday that he saw other members of his unit, known as G10A, mistreat Iraqi prisoners. Payne was the first British soldier to be convicted of a war crime in accordance with the International Criminal Court Act 2001 after he plead guilty to inhumane treatment. The crimes that were perpetrated by some members of the US army in Abu Ghraib are infamous and there had been comparatively little information about the British army’s involvement until now. Donald Payne told the public inquiry that he saw members of his unit mistreat Baha Mousa, “”I have seen each one, including Lt Rodgers [who commanded the unit], forcefully kick and/or punch the detainees in the period between September 14 and 16, 2003.†He also said that he witnessed Lieutenant Rodgers punching or kicking a group of detainees as well as pretending to set fire to them. Rodgers then issued a statement labeling the allegations “utterly outrageousâ€, claiming that “I have said before and say again that I did not mistreat any detainee in any way, and I categorically deny that I was anything to do with what Payne has alleged today.†This news comes as the British Ministry of Defense announced that it would be investigating 33 new allegations of abuse by British soldiers in Iraq. These charges include the use of pornography and dogs to mistreat detainees and one young Iraqi who claims he was raped by two male soldiers. For the first time British female soldiers are accused of assisting in the sexual and physical abuse of Iraqi detainees. The lawyer who will be representing all the Iraqis, Phil Shiner stated that “Many of these Iraqis were frightened to come forward and only now have been able to gather the courage to do so.†Rabinder Singh QC, the counsel for the family of Baha Mousa stated at the outset of the Mousa inquiry that “This case is not just about beatings or a few bad apples. There is something rotten in the whole barrel.” A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said that “Over 120,000 British troops have served in Iraq and the vast majority have conducted themselves to the highest standards of behavior, displaying integrity and selfless commitment. There have been instances when individuals have behaved badly but only a tiny number have been shown to have fallen short of our high standards. “Allegations of this nature are taken very seriously but must not be taken as fact. Formal investigations must be allowed to take their course without judgments being made prematurely,†the spokesperson added. BM
