Liz Brown

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

The final report of the Iraq Fatality Investigations has been handed down today. Its most significant finding: that forced exercise and stress positions were 'causally significant' in the death of Mousa Ali in UK custody at Camp Stephen in 2003.

questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Panorama - Special Forces: I Saw War Crimes The SAS has been accused of committing war crimes in Afghanistan. For the first time, special forces troops tell Panorama what happened during night raid operations. With Richard Bilton.

More details on the new allegations will be broadcast in tonight's episode of Panorama, which can already be streamed on the BBC iPlayer. While we wait for the Inquiry to continue its investigations, it makes for sombre but important viewing.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

In Inquiry news, the IIA have today announced that one former UK Special Forces commander has been issued a notice requiring his attendance at an Inquiry hearing, after he previously refused to provide a witness statement citing his privilege against self-incrimination.

These claims were channeled through UK Special Forces HQ for verification, but suggestions have been made that this role was misappropriated to prevent potential witnesses of misconduct from settling in the UK, where they could be called as witnesses to the ongoing Afghanistan Inquiry (IIA).

To this day, the BBC alleges that Afghan concerns are still being overlooked. Thousands of former Afghan Special Forces personnel who fought alongside British forces have had their asylum claims denied since the US withdrawal in 2021.

The BBC reports that then-Prime Minister Lord Cameron was told in 2011 by Afghanistan's President Karzai that British forces were unlawfully killing Afghan civilians, a claim which is denied by Lord Cameron's spokesperson.

After these deadly operations, incident reports were allegedly fabricated so as to minimise the risk of scrutiny by the military police.

Perhaps most gravely, many say the misconduct was an open secret, that 'everyone knew what was happening', creating a sense of 'implicit approval' surrounding the killings. Some reported their colleagues going on operations with the intention of killing those they were tasked with capturing.

Former military personnel have told the BBC that they witnessed UK Special Forces unlawfully killing unarmed Afghans, including wounded detainees and children. Some described the planting of weapons next to the dead, to falsely suggest they were armed when they were killed.

'Children handcuffed and shot' - ex-UK Special Forces break silence on war crime claims Veterans who served with the SAS and SBS give BBC Panorama eyewitness accounts of alleged executions.

Today's new allegations from the BBC's Panorama programme about UK Special Forces misconduct in Afghanistan are quite possibly the most serious war crimes allegations to emerge from Britain's 21st century wars.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thanks to Sam Raphael, @jacstjohn.bsky.social, @lydiaday.bsky.social and the entire Unredacted team for their support in putting this project together!

Very proud to share the results of my collaboration with
@unredacteduk.bsky.social - a fully searchable online archive of over 1,300 documents relating to alleged British war crimes in Iraq, and the accountability processes which followed.

In our latest blog post, @zalapk.bsky.social writes about the discovery of mass graves in Syria, and the challenges faced by those seeking justice and accountability.

@warstudieskcl.bsky.social
blogs.kcl.ac.uk/warcrimes/20...

Special Forces War Crimes A multiyear investigation into the systematic practice of unlawful killings and detainee mistreatment by UK Special Forces units deployed to Afghanistan, and the subsequent coverup of this criminality...

Today the Unredacted team are at the Royal Courts of Justice, giving updates from the Independent Inquiry into (UKSF war crimes) in Afghanistan. Evidence from Alan Pughsley QPM, who has carried out a review of RMP investigations...🧵

For more on our investigation, see unredacted.uk/projects/spe...

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The Inquiry also published this video statement from its Chair, the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave. It promises new open hearings with a 'police expert witness' about Operation Northmoor - the RMP's investigation into alleged UKSF war crimes in Afghanistan.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PKb...

One senior SBS officer wrote in an email: 'If we don't believe this, then no one else will and when the next WikiLeaks occurs then we will be dragged down with them.'

Like in Australia's Brereton Inquiry, it seems many allegations are coming from within Britain's Special Forces.

Some told the Inquiry they had tried to raise the alarm at the time, but were rebuked. One said that 'there appears to be a culture there of "shut up, don't question".'

A junior SBS officer described being told of an incident in which an Afghan's head was covered with a pillow before they were shot with a pistol. He also expressed concerns that the SAS were killing children younger than 16.

The BBC reports that several members of the SBS had major concerns about the conduct of their SAS counterparts in Afghanistan. One Special Forces officer said the SAS had a 'golden pass allowing them to get away with murder'.

This month we're hosting Sir Michael Wood KC for a talk entitled 'The International Law on the Use of Force: Current Developments'.

🗓️ 4pm, 15th January 2025
📍 King's College London
🔗 Register below

www.tickettailor.com/events/schoo...

Leaked War Memorial files show ructions over war crimes exhibit, ‘interference’ Leaked files reveal perceptions of “increased interference” at the Australian War Memorial over its treatment of war crimes by Australian soldiers.

Alongside accountability processes like the Brereton & Haddon-Cave inquiries, it’s paramount we figure out how best to incorporate their findings into our military histories and museums. Both for the victims of war crimes, and future generations of service personnel.

www.smh.com.au/national/lea...