The Human Rights Centre at Essex University and Ulster's Transitional Justice Institute launched a discussion paper addressing accountability for alleged UK war crimes in Iraq.
The paper, which is co-authored by Dr Carla Ferstman and Dr Thomas Obel Hansen, examines developments in UK legal responses to the alleged crimes, and concludes:
"It is regrettable that soldiers and victims alike have been negatively impacted by the continuing uncertainty caused by the lack of finality of investigations.
The Government’s position should have been neutral and detached in order to preserve and foster the independence and efficiency of the investigation process.
In reality, it has proven to be politically loaded and gives the impression that it is aimed at avoiding, rather than promoting, legal scrutiny, including the opening of a full ICC investigation. In light of the developments discussed in this paper, it is questionable whether UK authorities have the willingness to remedy the challenges needed for ensuring a genuine justice process."
The discussion paper was launched at The Hague Humanity Hub on 1 October 2018.