UK probe: Search for truth or PR stunt?

An inquiry into the death of an Iraqi civilian who died while in British custody in Iraq, has found that he was the victim of “unjustified and brutal violence”.

Baha Mousa died in British army custody in Basra in 2003. He sustained 93 injuries.

Sir William Gage, the chairman of the inquiry, condemned “corporate failure” at the Ministry of Defence in reference to the use of banned interrogation methods in Iraq.
 
This is the biggest British inquiry into professional standards in the British Army since the Bloody Sunday investigation into the killings of unarmed Catholics in Northern Ireland 30 years ago.

The defence ministry says it will carefully consider any recommendations from the inquiry.

Reports however suggest that while individual soldiers and failures in the chain of command in the army will be criticised, British troops will be cleared of charges of systemic abuse following the inquiry.

In this episode, we ask: Is this the tip of the iceberg? A PR stunt? Or is this a serious attempt to uncover the truth and learn valuable lessons for the future?

Inside Story, with presenter Folly Bah Thibault, discusses with Richard Kemp, a former British Army commander; Sabah al-Mukhtar, a lawyer and president of the Arab Lawyers Association; and Kevin Iaue, a legal advisor with UK-based human rights organisation, Redress.