UK troops in Iraq face new court threat

The Government has suffered a legal setback after a European court ruling that could see British soldiers taken to court over the deaths of Iraqi civilians in Basra. In a landmark judgment, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that European troops who are in control of a foreign country can be prosecuted under human rights law for breaching the civil rights of local people. In a further embarrassment for ministers, it emerged yesterday that the United Nations Committee against Torture has accused Britain of failing to properly apply the UN Convention against Torture in its operations in Iraq.