Senior UK military and political figures could end up in the dock as 400 victims denounce 'systemic' use of torture and cruelty

A devastating 250-page dossier, detailing allegations of beatings,
electrocution, mock executions and sexual assault, has been presented to
the International Criminal Court, and could result in some of Britain's
leading defence figures facing prosecution for "systematic" war crimes.
General Sir Peter Wall, the head of the British Army; former defence
secretary Geoff Hoon; and former defence minister Adam Ingram are among
those named in the report, entitled "The Responsibility of UK Officials
for War Crimes Involving Systematic Detainee Abuse in Iraq from
2003-2008".
The damning dossier draws on cases of more than 400
Iraqis, representing "thousands of allegations of mistreatment amounting
to war crimes of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment".
They
range from "hooding" prisoners to burning, electric shocks, threats to
kill and "cultural and religious humiliation". Other forms of alleged
abuse include sexual assault, mock executions, threats of rape, death,
and torture.
The formal complaint to the ICC, lodged yesterday, is
the cumulation of several years' work by Public Interest Lawyers (PIL)
and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). It
calls for an investigation into the alleged war crimes, under Article 15
of the Rome Statute.
The dossier, seen by
The Independent on Sunday,
is the most detailed ever submitted to the ICC's Office of the
Prosecutor on war crimes allegedly committed by British forces in Iraq.
The court has already acknowledged that there was little doubt that war
crimes were committed. In 2006, it concluded: "There was a reasonable
basis to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court had
been committed, namely wilful killing and inhuman treatment." At that
time, prosecutors cited the low number of cases – fewer than 20 – as a
reason for not mounting an investigation. But, since then, hundreds of
other claims have come to light – prompting consideration of the
complaint now. It is the start of a process which could result in
British politicians and generals being put in the dock on war-crimes
charges.
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