Written question asked by Michael Connarty (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 March 2012. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Iraq regarding the use of (a) torture and (b) evidence obtained through torture in court cases in Iraq.

Answer: We remain concerned over allegations of torture and mistreatment in Iraqi prisons. We regularly raise these concerns with the Government of Iraq, particularly in relation to Iraq's application of the death penalty. In 2011 the UK contributed to a UN-led project aiming towards strengthening the credibility of human rights reports, particularly around allegations of torture and systematic abuse. The UK has also helped to establish police forensics laboratories in Baghdad, Basra and Erbil. This project has helped to encourage the reform of the Iraqi criminal justice system so that it develops an ethical, principled and comprehensive approach to criminal evidence, and moves away from over-reliance on confessional evidence.

Secondary information