British soldier admits war crime

Cpl Donald Payne has become the first British soldier to admit carrying out a war crime in Iraq.

His victim was Baha Mousa, father of two, who died after receiving 93 injuries during a 36 hour ordeal.

It gives the lie to the idea that the British were running a popular occupation in Basra. And it also raises the obvious question about how thin this wedge is (see this Guardian article from Feb 2004 for more). Others must have at least known what Payne was up to:

"The shouting, bawling, screams, must have been heard by numerous soldiers and officers in the camp and yet no one seems to have raised it as a concern." - Prosecuter Julian Bevan QC

At least we have some progress on the war crimes front - remember earlier this year, three British soldiers were cleared of drowning an Iraqi boy, despite it being not disputed that they threw him in the river.

Let's see tomorrow if there's more righteous indignation from the British tabloids about the idea that our troops could be engaged in war crimes.

Comments

[Sadat]

The level of wanton abuse reflects the level of Islamophobia ingrained in the culture of the kufr.

[Martin]

Osama,

The level of Kufrophobia exhibited by some of your commentors really is quite saddening.

No doubt if I asked you to define what the word 'kufr' means you won't answer for three days and then tell me you're not running a drop in centre.

Just like you did with 'Jihad'.

[ainelivia]

Martin, Kufr has kind of the same connotations as when English people called Irish, paddies, we all remember the paddy jokes, or have they been buried in the pc museum for no longer appropriate terms. When will kufr join them?

Osama, the subject of your post is tragic. And deserves my attention, however when I open the comments and see this kind of stuff, I know that free speech is just wasted on some people, they should be charged a fee.

[Shavez]

British Soldiers Conducted "Choir" Practice With Screaming Iraqi Detainee’s
http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,1877135,00.

[DrM]

"Kufrophobia"?! Marty, Marty, Marty. Do you even read the posts, or are you just daft? You are like watching Amputee Field Hockey: pathetic, and very quickly disgusting.