Iraqi civilians sue British government

LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- The legal claims of Iraqi civilians alleging torture by British soldiers are seen as a test case for damages against the British government.

Legal action to begin later this month in London's High Court involves two court-martials in which soldiers were convicted of torturing dozens of prisoners after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Baha Mousa, 26, a hotel receptionist in Basra, was beaten to death by army soldiers. Other claimants survived their beatings but were left badly injured, said their attorney, Martyn Day.

"We believe that because of the state's involvement in the abuse the damages should be awarded on an exemplary basis and we will be asking the court to throw the book at the Army," Day told the Independent.

Testimony at the court-martials revealed some senior British officers received orders that "hooding and stressing" of prisoners was lawful, though it was banned in the 1970s during the conflict in Northern Ireland, the British newspaper reported Saturday.