Theresa May will not allow an ‘industry of vexatious allegations’ against British troops over claims of abuse in Iraq – The Independent

Posted September 21st, 2016 in armed forces, inquiries, Iraq, murder, news, torture by tracey

‘Theresa May has made clear she will not allow an “industry of vexatious allegations” against British troops over claims of abuse in Iraq. But the Prime Minister refused to bow to pressure and dismantle the Government body, the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), which is handling approximately 1,500 allegations of murder, abuse and torture carried out by British soldiers.’

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The Independent, 21st September 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

War remains inside the court room: jurisdiction under ECHR – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This is an extremely important judgment from the Court of Appeal on the reach of the ECHR into war zones, in this case Iraq. The CA, with the only judgment given by Lloyd Jones LJ, disagreed in part with Leggatt J.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th September 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Hundreds of compensation claims against British soldiers could be abandoned after controversial law firm announces closure – Daily Telegraph

‘Hundreds of compensation claims against British soldiers are likely to be abandoned after a controversial law firm accused of “hounding” troops announced that it is closing.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th August 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

We Need To Talk About…Abu Qatada – RightsInfo

‘In the first of an occasional series, we discuss a controversial human rights case and argue that there is another side to the way the case was reported.’

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RightsInfo, 7th July 2016

Source: www.rightsinfo.org

Why We Shouldn’t Use Evidence Obtained By Torture – RightsInfo

Posted July 13th, 2016 in evidence, human rights, news, terrorism, torture by sally

‘Torture is wrong, we all know that. But so too is its lesser known sibling – evidence obtained by torture. In this opinion article, Corallina Lopez-Curzi takes us through why this practice cannot be relied on in court and how we are ultimately responsible for making sure this does not happen in the UK.’

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RightsInfo, 28th June 2016

Source: www.rightsinfo.org

Outrage as war crimes prosecutors say Tony Blair will not be investigated over Chilcot’s Iraq war report – but British soldiers could be – Daily Telegraph

‘Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court will examine the Chilcot report for evidence of abuse and torture by British soldiers but have already ruled out putting Tony Blair on trial for war crimes.’

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Battle to stop Jack Straw facing Libya rendition charges – The Guardian

‘The government has spent at least £600,000 of taxpayers’ money trying to prevent a civil case being brought against it by a husband and wife who allege that British intelligence was complicit in their detention, rendition and torture.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Crown Prosecution Service statement: Operation Lydd – CPS News Brief

‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has considered a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police relating to one suspect in connection with allegations made concerning the movement and alleged ill treatment of Abdel Hakim Belhadj and his wife, Fatima Boudchar, and Sami Al Saadi and his wife and children from countries in South East Asia to Libya in 2004.’

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CPS News Brief, 9th June 2016

Source: http://blog.cps.gov.uk

CPS will not bring charges against MI6 over rendition of Libyan families – The Guardian

‘Prosecutors are set to announce that they are bringing no charges following a police investigation into MI6’s involvement in the kidnapping of two families who were “rendered” to the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s prisons, despite protests by the victims and their lawyers that the evidence against the agency is overwhelming.’

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The Guardian, 8th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court strikes down unfair decision in DFT of vulnerable victim of torture – Free Movement

Posted May 27th, 2016 in asylum, damages, detention, false imprisonment, news, torture by tracey

‘In the first judgment of its kind since the suspension of the Detained Fast Track on 2 July 2015, the High Court struck down the Home Secretary’s refusal and certification of an asylum claim which was made in the structurally unfair and unjust Detained Fast Track (DFT) and ordered the Home Secretary to remake the decision afresh without regard to material obtained in the unfair process. The case is R (on the application of Zafar) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 1217 (Admin).’

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Free Movement, 25th May 2016

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Mau Mau rebellion victims claim parliament was misled over torture – The Guardian

Posted May 24th, 2016 in colonies, compensation, Kenya, news, parliament, torture, victims by sally

‘The UK’s parliament was misled over the brutal tactics used to suppress the 1950s Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya, the high court has heard.’

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The Guardian, 23rd May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mau Mau lawsuit due to begin at high court – The Guardian

‘Compensation claims for torture, rape, wrongful detention and forced labour brought by 40,000 Kenyans who allege they were mistreated by British officials during the Mau Mau insurgency are due to be heard in the high court in London on Monday.’

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The Guardian, 22nd May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Al-Saadoon and others) v Secretary of State for Defence (No 2) – WLR Daily

Regina (Al-Saadoon and others) v Secretary of State for Defence (No 2) [2016] EWHC 773 (Admin)

‘The claimants brought public law claims in the courts of the United Kingdom arising out of the British military involvement in Iraq between 2003 and 2009. The claims involved allegations of ill-treatment and in some cases unlawful killing, of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers. By their claims for judicial review the claimants sought court orders requiring the Secretary of State to investigate alleged human rights violations. Issues arose relating to the UK’s obligations under articles 2 and 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, including (i) the nature and scope of the state’s substantive obligation under article 2 of the Convention in relation to the use of lethal force while seeking to quell riots and uphold law and order during the occupation of Iraq, (ii) when the investigative duty under article 2 arose in such circumstances and (iii) the effect of delay on the investigative duties under articles 2 and 3 where the allegations of breach of the substantive rights were made many years after the incidents in question.’

WLR Daily, 7th April 2016

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

What has the European Court of Human Rights done for us? – The Independent

‘Campaigners and politicians have criticised Home Secretary Theresa May’s assertion that Britain should leave the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).’

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The Independent, 25th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Theresa May barred from deporting six men to Algeria over torture concerns – The Independent

‘The Government has been barred from deporting six men to Algeria because there is a “real risk” they could be tortured there, judges have ruled.’

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The Independent, 18th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Serial killer Joanne Dennehy demands compensation for solitary confinement – Daily Telegraph

‘Lawyers are using the European Convention on Human Rights in support of the triple murderer.’

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Daily Telegraph, 13th March 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Torture victims face two-year delays in UK asylum claims – The Guardian

Posted February 5th, 2016 in asylum, delay, news, torture by tracey

‘Torture victims who claim asylum in Britain are facing delays of more than two years before their cases are resolved, according to a report by the official immigration and borders watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ and MoD join forces to protect soldiers from “parasitic litigation” – Litigation Futures

Posted January 27th, 2016 in armed forces, Iraq, law firms, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, torture by sally

‘Justice minister Dominic Raab and armed forces minister Penny Mordaunt are to chair a working party looking at how to prevent “any malicious or parasitic litigation from being taken against our brave armed forces”, Mr Raab revealed yesterday.’

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Litigation Futures, 27th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Cameron wants crackdown on ‘spurious’ military legal claims – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2016 in armed forces, death in custody, Iraq, legal aid, news, torture, war crimes by sally

‘The prime minister has ordered a clampdown on “spurious” legal claims against UK military personnel.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nearly 300 British veterans face investigation over alleged Iraq war crimes – The Guardian

‘Nearly 300 British personnel who served in Iraq have been contacted by investigators looking into allegations of war crimes, with some of them facing interrogation on their doorsteps, officials have said.’

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The Guardian, 9th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk