Our statement to support joint NGO letter to the Prime Minister on war crimes allegations against UK forces

Sonya Sceats, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Freedom from Torture, said:

“It is deeply irresponsible for the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary to publicly denigrate allegations of torture and other serious allegations against British military personnel while formal investigations are still underway.

Their statements risk torpedoing the IHAT process put in place by the government itself to explore evidence that the British armed forces abused detainees in Iraq. The Ministry of Defence has already paid more than £20 million to settle 326 cases, a fact which speaks volumes about the gravity of these issues.”

Along with a number of NGOs, Freedom from Torture is a joint signatory to a letter to the Prime Minister which raises concern about the public comments by him and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon which arguably interfere with the ongoing work of the Iraq Historical Allegations Team (IHAT). IHAT is investigating allegations of abuse and other human rights violations by British soldiers in Iraq.