A British court ruled on Tuesday in favour of a group of more than 100 Iraqi civilians who have demanded a new public inquiry into allegations of torture against British soldiers. Judges at the Court of Appeal in London overturned a decision by a lower court, which had backed the government's refusal to order a probe into claims of systematic abuse in British-controlled detention centres after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Some 128 Iraqis claim torture and inhuman and degrading treatment by British soldiers and interrogators in Iraq between March in that year and December 2008. The High Court ruled last December that an inquiry was unnecessary but the appeal court in London on Tuesday ordered defence minister Philip Hammond to reconsider.
Three appeal judges said a body set up by the government to probe the claims lacked independence, and also accused the authorities of failing to meet their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Hammond has until November 30 to decide whether to seek to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court, England's highest court. "We will examine the judgement very carefully," said a defence ministry spokesman. Lead claimant Ali Zaki Mousa, who is from the southern Iraqi city of Basra and alleges he endured months of beatings by British soldiers, said the ruling had restored "our confidence in the British people."