Amnesty International UK calls for trial of British soldiers
Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism - After a number of British forces confessed to committing war crimes in Afghanistan, Amnesty International UK has called for these defendants to be tried in the country's courts.
Amnesty International UK issued a statement on Tuesday, May 13, calling for the trial of British forces who confessed to war crimes in Afghanistan in the country’s courts.
The organization called the admission of British special forces to war crimes in Afghanistan very serious and worrying. The organization stressed that the defendants should be tried in British courts in a fair and transparent manner.
Sacha Deshmukh, Executive Director of Amnesty International UK, described the recent BBC News report on extrajudicial killings by British special forces in Afghanistan as an example of “war crimes.”
He said: “These allegations are very serious and are considered war crimes. Reports of deliberate killings of detainees, including children and the wounded, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” Amnesty International said in a statement. “These allegations span a period of years and point to a potential pattern of institutional cover-up and lack of oversight within the UK Ministry of Defence.” The organization also called the allegations a clear attempt to suppress or manipulate the investigation process and the possibility of a systematic cover-up. Amnesty International stressed that the process must be fully independent, with adequate resources and the power to summon witnesses and access all evidence. “Individuals suspected of committing war crimes and other abuses must be investigated and prosecuted in fair and transparent trials in the UK, regardless of their rank,” the statement said. The organization also stressed that, if necessary, they should be tried by the International Criminal Court. Amnesty International added: “Justice must not be delayed. The victims of these alleged abuses and the public deserve the full truth, transparency and accountability.”
A number of former British special forces officers have previously told the BBC that the country’s special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan killed gunmen in their sleep and shot civilians, including children, while they were handcuffed.
