British war crimes
Encyclopedia
British war crimes are crimes committed by the armed forces of the United Kingdom from its formation in 1707 to the present day. In this context, the term "war crime" had a broad definition, including both officially sanctioned acts and the independent actions of individuals during active service, both before and after the introduction of the laws of war
. Actions that have been labelled "war crimes" range from independent actions of individual soldiers, such as the abuse of prisoners in the Iraq War, to officially sanctioned actions such as the bombing of Dresden in 1945.
During the later stages of the Second Boer War, the British Empire was forced under extreme circumstances the policy of rounding up and isolating the Boer civilian population into concentration camps, one of the earliest uses of this method by modern powers.
The wives and children of Boer guerrillas were sent to these camps with poor hygiene and little food, although this was remedied to some extent as time went on. Most of the children in these camps died, as did a large minority of the adults.
, numerous attacks on civilians were carried out, including village burning and indiscriminate bombing.
of the British Army
who became the first member of the British armed forces
to be convicted of a war crime
under the provisions of the International Criminal Court Act 2001
when he pleaded guilty on 19 September 2006 to a charge of inhumane treatment. He was jailed for one year and dismissed from the army as a result of his actions.
Laws of war
The law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct...
. Actions that have been labelled "war crimes" range from independent actions of individual soldiers, such as the abuse of prisoners in the Iraq War, to officially sanctioned actions such as the bombing of Dresden in 1945.
Boer War
The wives and children of Boer guerrillas were sent to these camps with poor hygiene and little food, although this was remedied to some extent as time went on. Most of the children in these camps died, as did a large minority of the adults.
Iraqi revolt
During the first years of British rule in IraqIraqi revolt against the British
The Iraqi Revolt against the British , or the Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920, started in Baghdad in the summer of 1920 with mass demonstrations of both Sunni and Shia, including protests by embittered officers from the old Ottoman army, against the policies of British Acting Civil Commissioner Sir...
, numerous attacks on civilians were carried out, including village burning and indiscriminate bombing.
Iraq War
Corporal Donald Payne (born 9 September 1970) is a former soldier of the Queen's Lancashire RegimentQueen's Lancashire Regiment
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who became the first member of the British armed forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
to be convicted of a war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
under the provisions of the International Criminal Court Act 2001
International Criminal Court Act 2001
The International Criminal Court Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act implements into the law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.The principal aims of the Act are:...
when he pleaded guilty on 19 September 2006 to a charge of inhumane treatment. He was jailed for one year and dismissed from the army as a result of his actions.
See also
- Alleged British use of gas in Mesopotamia in 1920
- Allied war crimes during World War II
- Arab Investigation CentresArab Investigation CentresArab Investigation Centres were torture centres established by the British administration during the 1936-1939 Great Arab Revolt in Mandate Palestine....
- Battle of Danny BoyBattle of Danny BoyThe Battle of Danny Boy took place at Al Amara in Iraq on 14 May 2004, between British soldiers and about 100 Iraqi insurgents, members of the Mahdi Army....
- Churchill's 1944 'Plans' to Use Poison Gas and AnthraxChurchill's 1944 'Plans' to Use Poison Gas and AnthraxDuring World War II, Winston Churchill issued a memorandum advocating a chemical strike on German cities using poison gas and possibly anthrax. Although the idea was rejected, it has provoked debate....
- Human rights in the United KingdomHuman rights in the United KingdomHuman rights in the United Kingdom are set out in common law, with its strongest roots being in the English Bill of Rights 1689, as well as the European legislation. At the same time, the UK has also had a history of both de jure and de facto discrimination, and, in recent history, occasional...
- Ian Henderson (police officer)
- Joint Forward Intelligence TeamJoint Forward Intelligence TeamA Joint Forward Intelligence Team or Joint Forward Interrogation Team of the British Army, that reported to the UK-based Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, interrogated Iraqi prisoners between 2004 and 2007 at the Shaibah Logistics Base thirteen miles from Basra.Former prisoners interviewed...
- London CageLondon CageThe "London Cage" was a MI19 prisoner of war facility during and immediately after World War II that was subject to frequent allegations of torture...
- Death of Baha Mousa