The Killing Of Baha Mousa: It’s Not Manslaughter It’s Just A Few Bad Apples

BAHA Mousa’s killing is Britain’s Abu Ghraib. Baha Mousa was beaten to death by the British Army in Iraq. No-one has been charged and convicted of his killing. In Britain the horror is hidden away until all the main players are long dead.

Baha Mousa, 26, was a widower and father of two young children. He was seized with nine other Iraqi men. He died after 36 hours in custody, during which time he was deprived for food water and sleep. He suffered 93 separate injuries as a result of being kicked, punched and restrained by soldiers in Basra. Nineteen British men were involved in the abuse.

The 1st Battalion Queen’s Lancashire Regiment inflicted “gratuitous” violence on a group of 10 Iraqi civilians, who were kicked and hit in turn, “causing them to emit groans and other noises and thereby playing them like musical instruments”. This humiliating practice was nicknamed “the choir”.

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Anorak

Posted: 9th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (2)

Pictures From the Baha Mousa Inquiry

IN September 2003, Baha Mousa, an Iraqi civilian died in Iraq. He died whilst in custody of the British.

An Inquiry is established under the Inquiries Act 2005 and is chaired by the Right Honourable Sir William Gage, a retired Court of Appeal judge. His terms of reference are:

“To investigate and report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Baha Mousa and the treatment of those detained with him, taking account of the investigations which have already taken place, in particular where responsibility lay for approving the practice of conditioning detainees by any members of the 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in Iraq in 2003, and to make recommendations.”

That inquiry is underway. Pictures from it are below – and they are disturbing:

Anorak

Posted: 14th, July 2009 | In: Reviews | Comments (2)