Iraqi custody death inquiry pledged

Solicitor Phil Shiner said Defence Secretary Des Browne would announce an investigation into the death of Iraqi Baha Mousa, and the torture and ill-treatment of his colleagues.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman declined to comment, although a written statement on the subject of Mr Mousa is listed under House of Commons business.

Mr Shiner insisted that any new inquiry should encompass other claims of ill-treatment by British troops.

"It will not be sufficient if the inquiry has a narrow remit and does not look at all the cases and issues," Mr Shiner said.

"The public, as well as Parliament, must be given the opportunity of fully understanding what went wrong in our detention policy in Iraq and what are the lessons to be learned for the future."

He added: "This would need to get to the bottom of how it came about that the five techniques banned in 1972 - hooding, stressing, food and water deprivation, sleep deprivation and noise - were reintroduced as apparently standard operating procedure for all Battle Groups.

"In this case the most serious allegations that could be made about UK forces' behaviour in Iraq include that 20 Iraqis were executed at Abu Naji facility in May 2004 another nine survivors tortured, and that bodies were mutilated."

Last month the Government admitted breaching the human rights of Mr Mousa, who died while in British custody in Basra in September 2003.

The Ministry of Defence said it would also admit breaching the rights of eight other Iraqi men who have brought a civil case in the British courts.