The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed to pay almost £3 million (€3.7 million) to the family of an Iraqi who died while being held by British troops and nine other men who were allegedly mistreated, their solicitors said today.
The family of Baha Mousa and the nine other men will share £2.83 million in compensation from the MoD, law firm Leigh Day & Co said.
Mr Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel receptionist, died while being detained by soldiers in Basra in 2003.
The settlement, the first of its kind on such a scale paid by Britain to detainees in Iraq, follows years of legal proceedings brought by lawyers representing nine Iraqis, including the father of one who died.
The Ministry of Defence admitted in March that its troops had breached the human rights of the Iraqis, an admission that opened the way for negotiations on a settlement.
The men were rounded up when British troops carried out a raid on a hotel in Basra in September 2003 looking for insurgents. They were detained for more than 36 hours, during which time they were interrogated, beaten and abused.
Mr Musa died after suffering 93 injuries, including a broken nose and broken ribs. He was 26 at the time and left two children. His wife had died two months earlier from a brain tumour.
In a statement, the ministry described the settlement as amicable and said it had been made along with an apology. "It is right that compensation has been agreed through mediation," a spokesman said. "The army has done a great deal since these cases to improve procedures and training."
A total of 21 British soldiers serving in Iraq have been court-martialled over their actions, but only one has been found guilty after admitting mistreatment of prisoners.
PA, Reuters