Reviews

• Blairs Boys in Basra

  The particular killing that forms the subject of Andrew Williams book is that of Baha Mousa. Mousa, a young father living in Basra, was arrested with a number of others when arms were found in the hotel where he worked in the autumn of 2003. After more than two days of vile abuse and physical assaults (with a minimum of 19 soldiers involved) Mousa died. Williams book, a forensic examination of this incident, comes in four parts. The first, situated in Iraq, and second part where we return to Britain, cover the investigation by the Royal Military Police who don't, even taking into account the difficult conditions, inspire much confidence, but still they are attempting to construct a case? Eventually 7 soldiers are charged including a senior officer, and a date for a court martial set. All this takes three years. Williams expert eye on matters legal is readily apparent, and throws much needed light on the shady court martial that forms the third part of the book. All the prosecution witnesses from the army have developed a pretty comprehensive case of amnesia that no amount of prodding by the prosecution will cure; the Iraqi witnesses are subjected to protracted, aggressive questioning by the "best" legal minds in the country, who take brutal advantage of the fact that the Iraqis were hooded with empty hessian sandbags for almost the entirety of their ordeal. And if after that your not feeling thoroughly nauseated there's a whole barrage of witnesses heaping extravagant praise of the pass me the bucket brand on the most senior of the accused, Colonel Mendonca. Eventually the trial is brought to a halt by the judge. One soldier, Corporal Payne, undoubtedly a brutal thug, is sentenced to one years imprisonment on the single charge he plead guilty to at the beginning of the trial. Thankfully the story doesn't stop with the farcial half-assed trial. A public enquiry is held under which 19 soldiers are directly implicated in the torturous treatment of the Iraqi detainees and the death of Baha Mousa. Senior officers, including the much drooled over Colonel Mendonca, are also deemed to have been negligent and indifferent to their duties vis-a-vis the Iraqi detainees. Unfortunately there are no criminal penalties for these cowardly thugs, and this belated (were by now eight years after Mousas murder) official acknowledgement of what really happened is the nearest that the Mousa family will get to justice. "A Very British Killing" is a well written, fascinating and forensic look at one incident of barbaric criminal activity by members of the Armed Forces and the legal shenanigans that followed on. It's not just putting a single case (and in the authors opinion its highly unlikely to have been the only War crime committed by British forces in Iraq) under the spotlight, Williams looks at the broader question of why War-crimes such as those that led to the murder of Baha Mousa occur. Amongst those reasons such as poor or non-existant training, and an indifference to obligations under the Geneva conventions that runs through the military despite much rhetoric to the contrary, he also makes the point that it is virtually pre-ordained that these things happen in War. That is why War is illegal except under very particular circumstances which certainly didn't apply to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Ultimately the biggest War criminals are those who initiate wars, in this case a certain Mr Tony Blair.

• Determined to make a point

  This was extremely well researched and very detailed. By the end, though, I thought the author was too determined to get his message out - that this was an endemic problem in the UK Armed Forces. I don't think the limited evidence available supports this contention, though I do agree that there is inevitably a risk that some individuals will behave in an uncivilized, unethical and potentially criminal manner when sent off to war.

• 'The truth will out'

  May the Press always be free in this country.Man's inhumanity to another must never be hidden. Of course truth is always the first element to be thwarted in warfare. The family have my sympathy and I hope the next generation will see a way to forgive those who administered the . great injustice they suffered

• A powerful story and important lesson let down by biased writing

  I read this as part of preparation to deliver teaching to young military doctors on their ethical responsibilities when handling detainees. The story of the abuse and killing of Baha Mousa is a powerful one, and it is vitally important that we do not repeat these terrible moral lapses. As other reviewers have said, the author does not disguise his distaste for the British military. He is right to criticise the behaviour of the individuals concerned and the failure of the hierarchy to guard against abuse. While I found his tone grating in his descriptions of the military personnel, it can hardly be argued that their conduct was acceptable, so I let it pass. I assumed this just marked a rather cynical outlook on life from the author. This assumption was proved wrong when reading his glowing descriptions of the heroic Phil Shiner. The descriptions of his meticulously ordered, yet modest office, and the reference to his high moral standards were clearly meant to stand in stark contrast to the descriptions of the boorish and badly organised military personnel, but the length of the hagiography really irritated me while reading. Again, I pushed through; this is too important a story to let stylistic considerations get in the way of learning lessons. Phil Shiner was struck off the Roll of Solicitors today after admitting nine counts of acting without integrity relating to false allegations about the conduct of other soldiers in Iraq. Readers should not let Andrew Williams' misplaced bias put them off reading this important book, but I hope they realise that a black and white world of saints and sinners only exists in the pages of fiction.

• Meticulous and heartbreaking account. Required reading for anyone who cares about torture in their name.

  There are quite a few books around now about the failure of the 'civilised West' in the face of 9-11 to live up to its human rights rhetoric, even some books about the UK's complicity in the US' breaches at Guantanamo/Bagram/through Rendition. But this is the first detailed account of how far short the UK - the mother of all democracies - fell in Iraq and the war on terror. The answer is shocking. The book is well written and the detail meticulous. What happened to Baha Mousa should never be allowed to happen again, but I fear that it will. Truly a shameful moment in our history and an important book that shines a light on a part of the British state that this 'help for heroes' generation prefers to ignore...

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