MPs 'misled' over interrogation
MPs and peers have voiced concern they may have been misled over UK troops' 
use of banned interrogation methods.

Not all troops had known "conditioning" was banned, despite assurances they 
did by a minister and a military chief, the Joint Committee on Human Rights 
said.

The use of such techniques emerged after the death of Iraqi hotel worker 
Baha Mousa in British custody in 2003.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said the concerns may be investigated by an 
inquiry into the death of Mr Mousa.

Inhumane treatment

The committee said it had been given assurances by Armed Forces Minister 
Adam Ingram in 2004 and Lt Gen Robin Brims, Commander Field Army, in 2006 
that conditioning practices such as hooding - banned during the Northern 
Ireland Troubles of the 1970s - were not being used.

However, the MPs and peers said there were "discrepancies" between what they 
had been told and what was happening on the ground.

The UK government announced in May that a public inquiry would be held into 
the death of Mr Mousa, who suffered asphyxiation and had 93 injuries to his 
body.

He died while in Army detention after being taken into custody in Basra in 
September 2003.

     We have always been clear that we expect our forces to comply fully 
with international law. We will not tolerate anything less
      Defence Secretary Des Browne

Last year, Cpl Donald Payne was jailed after pleading guilty to inhumane 
treatment at a court martial. Six other soldiers were acquitted of the 
charges they faced.

A report by Brig Robert Aitken in January said changes were needed to 
rectify serious flaws in the way soldiers were trained to deal with Iraqi 
prisoners.

The committee said: "We have yet to receive an explanation from the Ministry 
of Defence for the discrepancies between the evidence given to the Joint 
Committee in 2004 and 2006 on the use of prohibited conditioning techniques 
and the facts which have emerged from the Payne court martial and the Aitken 
report."

It demanded a "detailed explanation of the discrepancies" be produced as 
soon as possible after the inquiry.

'Thorough examination'

Last week Mr Browne announced the terms of reference for the public inquiry 
into the death of Mr Mousa.

Mr Browne said: "Those terms of reference are sufficiently broad to enable 
the inquiry to conduct a thorough examination of the circumstances 
surrounding that death and the committee has acknowledged that many of the 
concerns it has raised in its report may be investigated by the inquiry."

He added: "We acknowledge that in 2003 some of the conditioning techniques 
were used on a small number of detainees.

"This should not have happened and we need to know how it came about. That 
is why I endorse the terms of the inquiry wholeheartedly."

Mr Browne said that since 2003, "considerable improvements" had been made to 
the training and information given to soldiers about the "correct and humane 
treatment of detainees".

"We have always been clear that we expect our forces to comply fully with 
international law. We will not tolerate anything less."