Iraq/UK: Small fry sentenced
01 January 2005
In February three British soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers appeared at a military court martial in Osnabruck, Germany, accused of assaulting and sexually abusing Iraqi prisoners as part of Operation "Ali Baba" on 15 May 2003 at Camp Bread Basket, Basra. The evidence against the men was contained in a series of "trophy" photographs taken by Fusilier Gary Bartram; Bartram was arrested after he took the pictures to be developed at a photographic shop and an assistant reported the contents to the police (see
Statewatch vol 14 nos 3/4). He was sentenced to 18 months at a youth detention facility at a court martial in Hohne in January.
At Osnabruck, the court martial, comprising a panel of seven senior officers and Judge Advocate Michael Hunter, sentenced Cpl Daniel Kenyon, to 18 months imprisonment and L/Cpl Mark Cooley was jailed for 2 years. They were found guilty of mistreating Iraqi prisoners. L/CPl Darren Larkin pleaded guilty to assaulting an Iraqi prisoner and was sentenced to 140 days imprisonment. All three men were dismissed from the Army. No sentences were brought in relation to the photographs that showed Iraqi prisoners being forced to sexually abuse one another.
The photographs showed Iraqi victims being sexually humiliated, abused and beaten as part of Operation Ali Baba, a project designed by Major Dan Taylor to capture and punish "looters" at Camp Bread Basket in May 2003. The pictures ranged from those depicting an Iraqi tied to and hanging from a forklift to others showing two Iraqis simulating anal sex and gesticulating to the camera. Some photographs appear to depicted Iraqis being physically assaulted (although the courts were assured that these were also simulations).
The 22-day court martial heard that the Royal Military Police had spent considerable time attempting to track down the Iraqi victims, but were unable locate any. After the trial it took the
Independent newspaper 48 hours to track down five of the abused Iraqis, all of whom lived within a mile of the base where the assaults took place. None of them was aware that the court martial was taking place and none had even seen the photographs taken by the soldiers.
The men found and interviewed by the
Independent newspaper are:
Ra'aidh Hassan Abdulhussein: Mr Abdulhussein (33) told the newspaper that, rather then being a looter, he was a warehouse worker at Camp Bread Basket when he was arrested. He says that was beaten so badly with a metal rod, that his arm was broken. Mr Abdulhussein is the figure depicted hanging in a net from a fork lift truck in one of the photographs. "I do not know why I was arrested", he told the newspaper.
Ali Rahdi Kassim and Ra'aidh Attaya Ali: Mr Kassim (24) and Mr Ali (29) were working at Camp Bread Basket when they were arrested. The claim they were forced to simulate a sex act that is captured on one of the photographs. Mr Kassim told the
Independent: "They made us do things that were bad. We refused but they hit us."
Hassan Kardham Abdulhussein: Mr Abdulhussen (23) was arrested outside Camp Bread Basket and identified himself in several of the photographs. He said: "We were not treated in this way under Saddam. I was in the army and I deserted but the punishment was not this kind of humiliation."
Muthannar Jaseem Mahmoud: Mr Mahmoud (23) had gone to Camp Bread Basket with his friend Ra'aidh Attaya Ali and arrested at the same time. He claims that he was kicked unconscious and had his arm broken. He said: "They kicked me on the head and I was frightened. Then one of them began to hit me with a metal rod and broke my arm at the elbow...". No one told us about this trial. I want the soldiers who did this punished severely."
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is reported to be launching a new inquiry into the claims made by the Iraqis. It should also investigate the failure by the Royal Military Police to track dow