On Monday 13 July 2009, the oral hearings to the
Baha Mousa Public Inquiry will begin, by Counsel to the Inquiry giving an opening address.
The Inquiry, which is chaired by
Sir William Gage, will examine the circumstances which led to the death of Baha Mousa and the ill-treatment of nine other Iraqi civilians while they were being detained and questioned by the British Army in Iraq in 2003. The Inquiry will also examine the degree to which the use of banned “conditioning techniques” of the detainees was authorised by the Army chain of command.
Leigh Day & Co, together with
Public Interest Lawyers, are representing the Iraqi victims and the family of Baha Mousa. The victims will travel to London to give their evidence in person to the Inquiry from 23 September 2009 onwards.
The Inquiry consists of four modules. Module 1 will examine the history of the use of “conditioning techniques” by the British Army. Module 2 will examine the details of ill-treatment of the Iraqi victims from 14 to 16 September 2003. Module 3 will examine what training and orders were given with respect to the use of “conditioning techniques”. Finally, Module 4 will consider what has happened since 2003 in relation to “conditioning techniques” and examine any appropriate recommendations for the future.
Module 1 is due to commence on 16 September 2009. Full details of the terms of reference and the detail of the four modules of the inquiry can be found at
www.bahamousainquiry.org.
Sapna Malik, partner at Leigh Day & Co who represents the Iraqi victims comments:
“There are many unanswered questions about the circumstances which led to the death of Baha Mousa and the abuse of the other Iraqi victims. Our clients did not get justice at the Court Martial in 2007 and they hope that the Inquiry will reveal, at last, how this abuse was allowed to take place and who was ultimately responsible”.
For further information regarding these matters, please contact Sapna Malik on 020 7650 1222, Dan Leader on 020 7650 1247or our Press Officer Sharon Steward on 020 7650 1200.
For out of office hour requests please e-mail
smalik@leighday.co.uk or
ssteward@leighday.co.uk
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