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Briton given 15 years by Iraqi court

by Murdo Maguire — last modified 20-04-2006 12:22

A British man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Iraqi court for passport violations. Mobeen Muneef, 27, from Tooting, London, was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court in Iraq, after a trial last week. He was detained by US forces in December 2004 over claims he had gunpowder on his hands. His family has previously called for him to be given to British troops in order to bring him home.

Mr Muneef was taken by US forces under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which allows people considered to pose an immediate threat to security to be detained. He spent several days in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison following his arrest. However it is not known exactly what charges were brought against him, or on what grounds he was held. His defence lawyers say he did not have a fair hearing, claiming he did not have enough time to prepare for his trial.

Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers, who called on Britain to intervene, said the government "abdicated any responsibility they should have to him under consular responsibility. They tell us nothing and take no steps to protect Muneef or inform his family - he may as well not exist," he said.

But a spokesman for the Foreign Office said consular assistance was being offered to Mr Muneef, and that he had legal representation at his trial. "He was tried under Iraqi law, it's not just a question of transferring him to us," he said. "They're a sovereign government and they have their own laws." He added that Mr Muneef was in the custody of the US forces as the Iraqi infrastructure may not be in place to detain him.

It is also possible legal representatives would appeal against both the conviction and the sentence, he said.

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