Deutsche Welle, 14 May 2014
The ICC has
said it will reopen an initial investigation into alleged war crimes carried
out by British forces during the Iraq War. Burning, sexual assault and
electrocution of detainees are among the alleged abuses.
The
Hague-based International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said on Tuesday she
would reopen a "preliminary examination" into alleged war crimes by British
soldiers.
Prosecutor
Fatou Bensouda said in a statement from the ICC that the decision followed new
submissions alleging abuse by UK troops after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
"The
new information... alleges the responsibility of officials of the United
Kingdom for war crimes involving systematic detainee abuse in Iraq from 2003 to
2008," Bensouda said.
Bensouda's
office said it had received documents from the Berlin-based European Centre for
Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) in January. The information, jointly
submitted by the Birmingham-based group Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), was
based on interviews with more than 400 Iraqi detainees.
'Sensory
deprivation and stress'
Both the
ECCHR and PIL alleged that British troops subjected detainees to severe
physical and psychological abuse at "military detention facilities and
other locations." Soldiers were alleged to have used sensory deprivation,
prolonged stress positions, burning and electrocution during the 2003-2008
occupation.
Detainees
were beaten and sexually assaulted as well as being threatened with rape and
death, the ECCHR said.
Britain's
Attorney General Dominic Grieve rejected the allegation of systematic abuse.
"Where allegations have been made that individuals may have broken those
laws, they are being comprehensively investigated," Grieve said in a
statement.
Bensouda is
now to deliberate on whether to ask ICC judges for permission to launch a
full-scale investigation.
rc/jm (AFP, AP, dpa)
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