Parliamentary Questions Regarding Police Complicity in Extrajudicial Killings

The following questions were submitted by the Brecknock Peace and Justice Group to Roger Williams MP. The versions in green were the parliamentary questions submitted by Roger Williams to the Secretary of State for Defence. Only four of the questions have received replies to date (below) and those replies have been extremely inadequate, further highlighting the need for an urgent independent international investigation.

1) Have British intelligence agents been based at the Jamiyat Police Station? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British intelligence agents have been based at the Jamiyat Police Station in Basra.

2) Have British intellgence agents supplied lists of suspects to any parts of the Basra Police? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British intelligence agents have supplied lists of suspects to personnel in the Basra Police.

3) If British intelligence agents have supplied names of suspects to the Basra Police Service, have any of the named people been subsequently murdered? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, of any of the names supplied by British intelligence agents to personnel in the Basra Police Service any of the named people have subsequently been murdered.

4) When it became clear that assassinations were being linked to Police Intelligence operating out of the Jamiyat Police Station (ie January 2004), what action was taken to prevent such killings happening in the future?

Did serving British police officers or intelligence agents continue to cooperate with the Iraqi Police Intelligence? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions have been taken to prevent extrajudicial killings in Basra, and if he will make a statement.

5) If the government believes that sectarian political parties are responsible for the death squads, as stated by General Sir John Cooper in January 2006, what action has been taken to remove this influence from the Basra Police Service? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions have been taken to remove the influence of sectarian political parties from the Basra Police Service.

Why has the number of international police trainers been reduced from 27 to 8 at the Joint Training Academy as reported by BSN in March 2006? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of international police trainers at the Joint Training Academy in Basra. REPLY

6) The Basra Provincial Governor has claimed that no investigations of assassinations have been undertaken by the Chief of Police. Can you confirm whether investigations have been undertaken? If so, how many arrests have been made? How many convictions have resulted? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether investigations into extrajudicial assassinations in Basra are being carried out, and whether these have led to any arrests or convictions.

7) Why did Adam Ingram state that the Royal Military Police were not investigating abuse at the Jamiyat Police Station in December 2005 if British forces had been ordered to conduct an ‘undercover campaign’ to stamp out sectarian violence, as reported in November 2005 by Scotland on Sunday?

If the RMP were not involved in any investigation, on what basis were British Forces operating and from where were they receiving their intelligence? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for a statement on investigations being carried out by the Royal Military Police into sectarian violence in Basra. REPLY

8) What charges have been brought against Major Jasim Hasan, Deputy Director of the Criminal Intelligence Division, and other suspects detained by British forces in January 2006? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on charges brought suspects detained by British forces in Basra in 2006.

9) How are British Forces overseeing the Police Intelligence unit at their new offices, which have been either partially or wholly provided at British tax payers’ expense?

Do British or US intelligence agents operate from the new facilities of the Intelligence unit? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for a statement on how British Armed Forces Personnel are overseeing the Police Intelligence units at their new offices in Iraq. REPLY

10) To what extent was Britain involved in setting up the Police Intelligence unit in 2003?

Who selected the Iraqi agents and how were they vetted? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on British involvement in setting up the Police Intelligence unit in 2003.

12) According to ACC Stephen White OBE, British RMP and Army personnel were embedded with police units in southern Iraq. To what extent is this practice still followed? Has it included the so-called Tactical Support Unit? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent to which British Royal Military Police and Army personnel are embeeded with police units in southern Iraq. REPLY

Have any units with embedded British personnel been linked with human rights abuses? To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on human rights abuses in Basra