MoD apologises for failure to protect the right to life

The Ministry of Defence has finally apologised to a mother whose son was killed in Iraq more than a decade ago, after a lengthy legal battle.

Private Phillip Hewett, from Tamworth, was killed by a roadside bomb along with two of his colleagues while travelling in a lightly armed “snatch” Land Rover in 2005.  Finally, after a 12 year legal battle, Sue Smith has received an apology from Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon for failures that “could have saved lives”.

Article 2 of the Human Rights Convention protects the most basic of our rights – the right to life. The families of the soldiers killed in the vehicles argued that this had been breached. While soldiers accept they are entering a dangerous profession, the MoD should properly protect them during this time. Namely, by providing adequate training and equipment.

Read more: https://rightsinfo.org/ministry-defence-finally-apologises-snatch-land-rover-death/

 

 

 

 

Image: Filter Forge, Flickr