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Andrew Williams at the Bath Literary Festival
Andrew Williams spoke on ‘Uncomfortable Truths’ at the Bath Literary Festival on Sunday 10th March. Along with Ian Cobain (author of Cruel Britannia) and Maureen Freely, he discussed the genesis of his book A Very British Killing and explored the culture of contempt which he argues has permeated the treatment of the ‘other’ in Britain’s ‘dirty little wars’ since 1945.
Centre for Human Rights research into legal aid cuts receives coverage in legal press
Natalie Byrom, a PhD student at the Centre for Human Rights in Practice has joined forces with the founders of ilegal (http://ilegal.org.uk) to capture the impact of the cuts to civil legal aid on professionals working in the sector and their clients. A survey has been launched to explore the long term impact of the cuts introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) on expertise within the sector. The report will be published on 2 April to coincide with the cuts taking effect. For more details on the research please click here
Centre Co-Director Andrew Williams argues for a public inquiry into systemic torture in Iraq
On the front page of the Observer newspaper this weekend was a story entitled "Is Britain Guilty of Systemic Torture in Iraq".
The story reports that 180 statements, with 871 to follow – will go before a judicial review hearing at the high court in London next week in a claim seeking to demonstrate that Britain broke international laws of war by pursuing a policy of systematic torture.
The testimony is shocking, such as from "Khalid", a detained Iraqi civilian: "[A British soldier] then grabbed my penis and dragged me around the floor while holding it. He also made me squat up and down whilst naked and inserted his finger into my anus. I would have preferred to have been killed than subjected to this."
"This is the crucial moment of decision," says Professor Andrew Williams, co-director of the Centre for Human Rights in Practice and author of a book on the most infamous single case to date, the torture to death in custody of an innocent hotel receptionist, Baha Mousa. "This is our last chance to get to the truth and find out what went on. It's the last chance to see who is responsible."
At the hearing, Phil Shiner, the lawyer representing the complainants will call for a public inquiry into what will be presented as an orgy of sadism, outlawed interrogation methods and unlawful killings by soldiers and intelligence officers against Iraqi civilians and prisoners of war between 2003 and 2008.
To read the full article click here.