Mother wins MoD apology over ‘Snatch’ Land Rover death – BBC News

Posted August 18th, 2017 in armed forces, inquests, inquiries, Iraq, news by sally

‘In July 2005, Sue Smith’s son, Pte Phillip Hewett, was killed by a roadside bomb while travelling in a lightly armoured “snatch” Land Rover in Iraq.’

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BBC News, 18th August 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High Court blocks bid to prosecute Tony Blair over Iraq War – The Independent

Posted July 31st, 2017 in international law, Iraq, news, private prosecutions, war by sally

‘The High Court has blocked a bid by a former chief of staff of the Iraqi army to bring a private prosecution against Tony Blair over the Iraq War.’

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The Independent, 31st July 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ministers ‘undermined law’ over Iraq war crimes allegations – The Guardian

‘The government has been accused of undermining the rule of law by putting pressure on an independent regulator in its action against a legal firm pursuing claims of human rights abuses involving British troops in Iraq.’

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The Guardian, 22nd July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Iraq war: judge to review Tony Blair prosecution ban – The Guardian

‘The most senior judge in England and Wales will hear a case attempting to overturn a ban on prosecuting Tony Blair over the Iraq war, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 5th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Leigh Day exonerated after longest and most expensive disciplinary tribunal prosecution ever – Legal Futures

‘The longest and most expensive case brought in the history of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ended with high-profile claimant lawyer Martyn Day, two of his colleagues and his firm Leigh Day fully exonerated.’

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Legal Futures, 9th June 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyers must be able to bring cases against government ‘without fear of reprisals’ – The Guardian

‘Lawyers must be able to bring cases against the government “without fear of recrimination or reprisals”, the high-profile solicitors’ firm Leigh Day has declared on the eve of its trial for alleged professional misconduct.’

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The Guardian, 24th April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Blair prosecution opposed by attorney general, says paper – BBC News

Posted April 18th, 2017 in Iraq, ministers' powers and duties, news, private prosecutions, reports, war by sally

‘The attorney general hopes to block a private prosecution against Tony Blair over the Iraq war, a report says.’

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BBC News, 17th April 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tony Blair’s rush to war could be repeated due to lack of checks, MPs warn – The Independent

Posted March 16th, 2017 in Iraq, ministers' powers and duties, news, reports, select committees, war by tracey

‘No checks have been put in place to prevent a prime minister repeating Tony Blair’s disastrous rush to war in Iraq, MPs have warned.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Supreme Court Brexit ruling may affect legal action against Tony Blair and other ‘state officials’ over Iraq War – The Independent

Posted February 15th, 2017 in constitutional law, Iraq, news, prerogative powers, referendums, Supreme Court, war by sally

‘The Supreme Court Brexit ruling may affect attempts to take legal action against Tony Blair and other “state officials” over their role in the Iraq War, it has emerged.’

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The Independent, 14th February 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Iraq lawyer Phil Shiner struck off over misconduct – BBC News

‘A human rights lawyer who brought abuse claims against UK troops after the Iraq War has been struck off for misconduct.’

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BBC News, 2nd February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Phil Shiner’s legal firm ‘made £1.6m with improper fee deal over Iraq troop abuse claims’ – Daily Telegraph

‘A disgraced human rights lawyer accused of hounding British troops earned his firm more than £1.6m from an improper deal carving up fees from pursuing abuse claims against British troops, a tribunal has heard.’

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Daily Telegraph, 31st February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judges set to rule on Taliban bomb maker suing UK government – Daily Telegraph

‘The Supreme Court is expected this week to make it more difficult for former Taliban fighters to sue the Government over their detention in Afghanistan.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Richard Clayton QC: New Directions for Article 10: Strasbourg Reverses the Supreme Court in Kennedy – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v Charity Commission was striking from many points of view. Mr Kennedy was a journalist frustrated by the way the Commission handled his allegations concerning George Galloway MP’s controversial Iraq charity, the Miriam Appeal. He applied for disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that a prohibition from disclosure under s 32 should be interpreted compatibly with Article 10, as required by s 3 of the HRA. However, the Supreme Court declined to follow the recent ECtHR case law, holding that Article 10 did not encompass a right of access to information, deprecating the parties’ failure to rely upon the common law right to information and disagreeing over the question of whether proportionality should replace Wednesbury unreasonableness: see my previous post on this here.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th December 2016

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Former Army captain Rachel Webster to sue the Government over Ihat raid – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 15th, 2016 in armed forces, damages, Iraq, news, war, wrongful arrest by tracey

‘A decorated war veteran has made an emotional demand for the government to shut down its “witch hunt” into historic allegations of abuse in Iraq. Rachel Webster, a former captain, announced she was suing the Ministry of Defence over her wrongful arrest by investigators in January 2014.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th December 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Iraq War: Lawyer admits misconduct over Army abuse claims – BBC News

‘A human rights lawyer who brought murder and torture claims against UK troops has admitted misconduct charges.’

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BBC News, 8th December 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tony Blair must face new investigation over Iraq, MPs demand – The Independent

Posted November 28th, 2016 in Iraq, news, select committees, war by tracey

‘MPs are calling for a parliamentary committee to investigate whether Mr Blair misled parliament and the public.’

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The Independent, 27th November 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Revealed: Chilcot inquiry was set up ‘to avoid blame’ – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2016 in armed forces, inquiries, Iraq, news by sally

‘The Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war was designed to “avoid blame” and reduce the risk that individuals and the government could face legal proceedings, newly released documents reveal.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ex-child soldiers to sue UK firm that hired them to be mercenaries in Iraq – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2016 in armed forces, children, Iraq, news, psychiatric damage, security companies, Sierra Leone by sally

‘Two former child soldiers have threatened legal action against the private security company Aegis Defence Services over psychological harm they say they suffered when the company recruited them as adults to work as mercenaries in Iraq.’

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The Guardian, 18th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chilcot, Blair and FOIA – Panopticon

Posted November 16th, 2016 in freedom of information, inquiries, Iraq, news, tribunals by sally

‘FOIA remains a potent tool for enhancing transparency on issues of great public importance. Two recent decisions – concerning the Chilcot Inquiry and the post-prime ministerial activities of Tony Blair – are good current illustrations.’

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Panopticon, 10th November 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

British soldiers face Iraq detainee abuse probe – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2016 in armed forces, detention, Iraq, legal aid, news by tracey

‘British soldiers are being investigated over allegations of mistreating two Iraqi detainees in 2003.’

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BBC News, 16th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk