Iraqi's custody death probe begins
A major public inquiry into the death of an Iraqi civilian in British military custody is due to begin.
Hotel receptionist Baha Mousa, 26, died while being detained by soldiers from the former Queen's Lancashire Regiment in 2003.
The wide-ranging inquiry into his death and the British Army's use of so-called conditioning techniques to "soften up" prisoners for interrogation will take place in central London.
It will start with an opening statement by Gerard Elias QC, counsel to the inquiry, which is expected to take about two weeks.
Mr Mousa, 26, was working at the Ibn Al Haitham hotel in Basra, southern Iraq, in September 2003 when it was raided by British forces looking for weapons.
The soldiers found assault rifles and pistols in a safe. Hotel staff insisted they were used for security but Mr Mousa and several of his colleagues were taken to the British military base at Darul Dhyafa.
While in the custody of the Preston-based Queen's Lancashire Regiment, the receptionist was beaten to death, sustaining 93 separate injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.
Mr Mousa's 22-year-old wife had died of cancer shortly before his detention, meaning his two young sons, Hussein and Hassan, were orphaned.
Seven soldiers faced a court martial at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire on war crimes charges relating to the receptionist's death. All but one were cleared on all counts in March 2007.
The Ministry of Defence agreed in July last year to pay £2.83 million in compensation to the families of Mr Mousa and nine other Iraqi men mistreated by British troops.
