Deaths in Iraq while in UK custody are governed by European Convention on Human Rights

In a landmark judgement today, the UK high court today ruled that an Iraqi who died while in British custody in Iraq was entitled to the full protection of the European Convention on Human Rights. In a ruling which has wide ranging implications, the judges effectively ruled that prisoners taken by British troops abroard fell under British judicial juristician, and hence the European Convention for Human Rights applies. This means that all deaths must have full open enquiries, all forms of imprisonment must meet EU standards, all forms of torture are strictly illegal, and most importantly of all, soldiers are accountable in teh European courts for their actions.

The judges did give some good news for the UK government though when they also ruled that any deaths outside of custody did not come under the European Convention on Human Rights as they occurred in a foreign soveign state.

There is now a legal requirement on the UK government to investigate fully and openly, any deaths and to punish any soldiers found guilty of torture. A good day for human rights in UK occupied areas of Iraq.

Paul.
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Reply #1 Top
I've been wondering when the U.K. was going to rule on this and they correctly applied the EU Convention on Human Rights. The convention has no legal effect on those who are not signatories to the convention so it doesn't have any effect on U.S. conduct...again, the U.K. got it right.

Glad you posted this Paul.
Reply #2 Top
Paul, just letting you know that I moved my blog to a new location as of today. You can continue to read my articles at: http://tbone4justice.blogspot.com/. Hope to see you there!