A long fight for justice

May 2003: Amnesty International warns Britain about the poor treatment of prisoners at British bases in Iraq.

May 2003

Amnesty International warns Britain about the poor treatment of prisoners at British bases in Iraq.

13 September 2003:

Baha Mousa is arrested by a British Army unit. He dies on his third night of detention at Darul Dhyafa base. Inmates allege he was beaten to death.

16 September 2003

Mousa's father is told by military police that his son has died in custody.

November 2003

Amnesty sends a dossier to the Ministry of Defence on alleged abuses of prisoners in British bases.

4 January 2004

The Independent on Sunday reports that British soldiers beat an Iraqi "so badly that he died in British custody". A British Army death certificate states that Mousa died of "asphyxia".

February 2004

A Red Cross report on prisoner abuse is passed to British representatives in Iraq, but not published. It mentions the death in custody of Mousa.

8 May 2004

No 10 confirms "the Government" shown a copy of report in February.

10 May 2004

Geoff Hoon tells MPs that the report "was not seen by ministers until very recently".

11 May 2004

Amnesty accuses British soldiers of shooting dead unarmed civilians.

28 July 2004

Families of Iraqi civilians allegedly killed by British troops begin their legal battle in the High Court.

Yesterday

Mousa's family win a "historic" ruling at the High Court, opening the way for an investigation into his death.