Medical personnel come in for stinging criticism in Baha Mousa Inquiry findings

 

The conclusion of the Baha Mousa public inquiry today resulted in severe criticism of the treatment of detainees by British soldiers, including medical personnel.

Freedom from Torture's Dr Brian Fine said:

"Sir William Gage's findings relating to the role of the 1QLR medics are alarming.Gage's conclusion that medical personnel were aware of, and did nothing to prevent, detainees being hooded and placed in stress positions as part of a so called 'conditioning' process to aid questioning is shocking and represents unacceptable and unethical professional practice.

It is also unacceptable that the Regimental Medical Officer knew that Baha Mousa had sustained injuries while in detention yet took no steps to report it after his death. These failings run directly counter to accepted principles of medical ethics including those endorsed by the United Nations and the World Medical Association.

All doctors are bound by the General Medical Council to make the care of patients their first concern. It is staggering to think that even after the death of a detainee in suspicious circumstances, the doctor in charge made no attempt to attend the detention facility to check on the welfare of the remaining prisoners - even after two detainees had been brought to him for examination making complaints of ill-treatment. The Inquiry chairman also found that it was 'difficult to accept' that he missed the injuries suffered by these detainees.

The fact that the doctor had not received any training or instructions in respect of prisoner handling is surprising, but this can be no excuse for his failings. The general unwillingness of the medical personnel on the ground to take any steps to address the appalling conditions in which Baha Mousa and his fellow detainees were held, is completely unacceptable."

Keith Best, Chief Executive at Freedom from Torture said:

"We strongly welcome Sir William Gage's finding that the 'use of hooding and stress positions were wholly unacceptable in any circumstances'; he seriously criticised senior officials at the Ministry of Defence for a 'corporate failing' to ensure that banned techniques were not used, including failures in training. The Ministry of Defence must take a long hard look at these findings and take all necessary steps to ensure that the corporate failings are remedied to prevent this happening again. While the terms of reference for this inquiry meant that Sir William Gage focused exclusively on abuse meted out during this episode, this was clearly not a one off."

Lawyers acting for families of other individuals held by British troops in Iraq are demanding a full public inquiry into wider allegations of torture and other ill-treatment.

"This inquiry reminds us that at the heart of such investigations there are real people, with families and loved ones, who struggle to recover from the abuse inflicted on them. We applaud the special status awarded to the former detainees and their families in the inquiry including Mr Daoud Mousa, Baha Mousa's father. In contrast, it brings home for us the failing of the planned 'Detainee Inquiry' into allegations of mistreatment of detainees overseas by the UK security services which under its current set-up has denied a similar role to survivors who would be shut out of any meaningful engagement with the Inquiry, including being precluded from witnessing or questioning crucial evidence taken from those involved in their alleged torture."