UK military admits Iraqis tortured

LONDON, England (AP) -- The British military admitted Thursday that it breached the human rights of an Iraqi man who died in custody, and that its soldiers also violated the rights of eight other detained Iraqis.

The Ministry of Defense said it expects to negotiate compensation for the survivors of the dead man, Baha Mousa, and with the eight former detainees.

The MoD admitted breaching prohibition on torture laws in the cases of all nine men.

The nine -- taken into custody as alleged insurgents -- were held in stress positions and deprived of sleep for about two days in extreme heat at a British army barracks near the southern Iraqi city of Basra in September 2003, prosecutors told a British military court.

Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, died from asphyxia after soldiers restrained him following an escape attempt.

One soldier, Cpl. Donald Payne, 35, was convicted of inhumane treatment in that case, making him the first British soldier to plead guilty to a war crime under international law.

"I deeply regret the actions of a very small number of troops and I offer my sincere apologies and sympathy to the family of Baha Mousa and the other eight Iraqi detainees," Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said in a written statement.

"All but a handful of the over 120,000 British troops who have served in Iraq have conducted themselves to the highest standards of behavior, displaying integrity and selfless commitment. But this does not excuse that during 2003 and 2004 a very small minority committed acts of abuse and we condemn their actions."

Defense officials are due in court Friday to answer claims on behalf of the detainees.

In Mousa's case, the Ministry of Defense admitted "a substantive breach of Articles 2, right to life, and 3, prohibition of torture, of the European Convention on Human Rights."

It also admitted breaching the prohibition on torture in the cases of Mohammed Dhahir Abdulah, Maitham Mohammed Ameen Challab Al-Waz, Satar Shukri Abdullah, Joad Kadhim Jamal Al-Faeaz, Dhahir Abdullah Ali Al-Mansori, Radif Tahir Muslem Alhawan, Baha Hashim Mohamed and Ahmed Taha Mosah.

"The Ministry of Defense further accepts that the admitted substantive breaches of the convention give rise to claims for compensation," it said.

Britain's highest court, the House of Lords, ruled in June that prisoners held by British troops are protected by European human rights law.

Mousa was one of six Iraqis killed by British troops in separate incidents in 2003 whose cases were reviewed by the Lords. The other five cases did not involve detention -- a critical factor in determining whether British laws should be applied.

In 2005, the Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling that both the European Convention on Human Rights and the domestic Human Rights Act applied in Mousa's case, but not in the others. The Lords affirmed that ruling. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

All About Iraq War • War Crimes • International Courts and Tribunals