Blair pressured UK soldiers’ Iraq cases, files reveal
Former prime minister sought to block civilian and ICC trials for troops accused of detainee abuse
LONDON (MNTV) — Newly released government documents indicate former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair pressured officials to prevent British soldiers accused of abusing Iraqi detainees from being tried in civilian courts or by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Newly released files at the National Archives in Kew, west London, reveal that in July 2005, Tony Blair received a note from his senior aide Antony Phillipson.
The note detailed discussions between the attorney general and army prosecutors concerning soldiers accused of mistreating Baha Mousa, an Iraqi hotel receptionist who died in British military custody in Basra in September 2003.
Mousa had been among several detainees subjected to severe beatings, hooding, and stress positions.
Phillipson’s note stated that the attorney general could direct that the matter be handled in a civil court. Blair underlined the relevant paragraph and added, “It must not!” demonstrating his determination to keep the cases out of civilian jurisdiction.
Two years later, Corporal Donald Payne was court-martialed and became the first British soldier convicted of a war crime for mistreating Baha Mousa and other detainees, including punching, kicking, and forcing prisoners into stress positions he called “the choir.” He was sentenced to one year in prison and dismissed from the army.
The documents further reveal Blair’s concern that British soldiers not face ICC scrutiny. Phillipson advised obtaining notes from the Defence Ministry and attorney general on proposed legislative changes to avoid accusations of obstructing troops in war zones.
Blair annotated, “We have, in effect, to be in a position where ICC is not involved and neither is CPS. That is essential. This has been woefully handled by the MoD.”
Phillipson also highlighted that the Foreign Office anticipated an ICC prosecutor decision on whether to investigate UK military operations in Iraq. Blair wrote in the margins, “This is vital,” underscoring his intent to shield troops from international prosecution.
In 2020, the ICC formally abandoned its long-running inquiry into alleged UK war crimes in Iraq between 2003 and 2008, closing the chapter on a decades-long investigation that had raised serious questions about military accountability and political oversight.
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