§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are taking all reasonable steps to bring to justice Iraqis and other foreign nationals responsible for unlawful killings in the United Kingdom zone of Iraq. [HL2827]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe coalition continues to pursue and aims to bring to justice all those involved in unlawful killings in Iraq.
We are also working with the Iraqi judicial and police sectors to strengthen Iraqi capacity to combat crime and prosecute criminals. Iraqi civilians and foreign nationals not working for the coalition are subject to the Iraqi criminal code. Of the 487 prisoners currently detained in Basra, over 100 have been convicted, including some convictions for murder.
We are making steady progress in training the Iraqi police service in methods for gaining evidence to pursue prosecutions that meet international standards. We are also working on increasing the capacity of the Iraqi judiciary to pursue investigations.