§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) What is the total number of persons currently detained in Iraq; (b) how they are classified; and (c) how many are prisoners of war and how many are civilians. [HL2755]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)As of 23 May 2004, the United Kingdom were holding in Iraq 125 internees, no prisoners of war and no detainees. The Ministry of Defence is not in a position to comment on the number of persons being held at US facilities. Individuals are classified as internees due to their being held if they pose or are likely to pose a threat to coalition forces. They are classified as detainees if they are suspected of a criminal act under Iraqi law. Detainees are immediately handed over to the Iraqi police service.