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Iraq News Story

 16 October 2008 04:15 BST

Massive army payout for tortured Iraqis

Thursday, 10 Jul 2008 20:10
Family of Iraqi hotel worker who died in UK army custody and nine other torture victims win almost £3m in compensation

Iraq In Focus 

The family of an Iraqi hotel receptionist who died in UK army custody and nine other torture victims have won almost £3 million in compensation.

Father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, suffered 93 separate injuries within 36 hours after being arrested by soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) shortly after the 2003 invasion.

His family and nine other men picked up at the Basra hotel were told earlier this year the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would not contest a compensation claim after admitting their human rights had been violated.

At the high court today it was announced Mr Mousa's family and the nine claimants would receive £2.83 million.

One corporal from the QLR pleaded guilty to inhumane treatment over the incident while six others, including the regiment's commanding officer Colonel Jorge Mendonca, were cleared of any offence.

Ahead of today's compensation hearing, Mr Mousa's father said the last five years had been a "nightmare" for his family.

"The fact that it has taken the British government over a month to even allow me into this country to enable the mediation to go ahead has cast a cloud over this event," Colonel Dawood Mousa said.

"To be treated so shoddily after all that has happened has made me very angry. If it was not for my grandchildren I would have packed my bags and returned home already."End of story


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