The Government has suffered a legal setback after a European court ruling that could see British soldiers taken to court over the deaths of Iraqi civilians in Basra. In a landmark judgment, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that European troops who are in control of a foreign country can be prosecuted under human rights law for breaching the civil rights of local people.
It comes days before the High Court in London is due to rule on a case involving the death of the hotel receptionist Baha Mousa and more than 30 other Iraqis who were allegedly killed, tortured or ill-treated by British troops after last year's war. That case hinges on claims that British forces in Iraq are bound by the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights even outside Europe - the same issue at the centre of the ruling by the court in Strasbourg 12 days ago...
Well, just because the ECHR would do this to the British is no proof that the ICC would ever do this to American soldiers. Right. |