21 September 2009
The Baha Mousa Inquiry will re-open on 21 September 2009, commencing with an Opening Statement on behalf of the victims.
The Inquiry will examine the circumstances which lead to the death of Baha Mousa and 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 detainees was authorised by the Army chain of command.
Oral witness evidence will start to be heard on Wednesday 23 September 2009, beginning with Baha Mousa’s father, Daoud Mousa, followed by the other victims who will give their evidence over a two week period. Soldiers who were serving in Iraq at the time the incident took place will then give their evidence to the Inquiry.
The Inquiry consists of four modules. Module 1 examined the history of the use of “conditioning techniques” by the British Army. Module 2, which is about to commence, will examine the details of ill-treatment of the Iraqi victims from 14 to 16 September 2003. Module 3, which is due to commence in January 2010, will examine what training and orders were given with respect to the use of “conditioning techniques”. Finally, Module 4 will consider what happened since 2003 in relation to “conditioning techniques” and examine any appropriate recommendations for the future.
The Baha Mousa inquiry will be chaired by Sir William Gage. Full details of the terms of reference and the detail of the four modules of the inquiry can be found
here.
Leigh, Day & Co, together with Public Interest Lawyers, are representing the Iraqi victims and the family of Baha Mousa. Sapna Malik, partner at Leigh Day & Co comments: “Our clients were bitterly let down by the Court Martial held from 2006-2007. They are now looking to this Inquiry for accountability and answers as to how this horrific 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 or
Dan Leader on 020 7650 1247. For out of office hour requests please e-mail
Sapna Malik.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.