UK lawyers win inquiry on detainee death in Basra

A ruling in the UK held that the death of a civilian in custody of UK forces in Basra indeed fell within the jurisdiction of British courts, paving for an independent inquiry into the Iraqi's death.

Baha Mousa, 26, a Basra hotel receptionist, died in September 2003 after being arrested and taken to a British military base.

Mousa's family had asked the High Court to rule that European and British human rights laws applied to British soldiers in Iraq and that there should be an independent inquiry to determine whether he was unlawfully killed. The court agreed.