Samuel Montgomery
Nine former military chiefs have called for human rights laws to be disapplied for British Army soldiers on duty.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, they said allowing historic cases against veterans to be reopened is playing into the hands of Britain’s enemies.
Elite soldiers in units such as the SAS are quitting in droves because they fear repercussions for decisions taken in the heat of the moment, they add.
Sir Patrick Sanders, a former chief of the general staff, is among the letter’s signatories.
In the letter to The Times, they wrote: “Today every British soldier deployed must consider not only the enemy in front of them but the lawyer behind them.
“Make no mistake, our closest allies are watching uneasily, and our enemies will be rubbing their hands.”
They argue that “an ever-broadening interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)” means decisions taken by troops in combat that may have been lawful at the time are being re-evaluated “in the misplaced light of hindsight”.
This “lawfare”, which the generals describe as “the use of legal processes to fight political or ideological battles”, is said to be “paralysing decision-making, distorting rules of engagement and deterring initiative”.
The generals have called on the Government and Lord Hermer KC, the attorney-general, to disapply the ECHR and Britain’s own Human Rights Act from troops on active service.
Signatories of the letter include ex-deputy Nato supreme allied commanders, three former chiefs of the general staff, and a former chief of the air staff.
The warning follows the acquittal of a Troubles veteran known as Soldier F, who is now in his 70s, who was accused of the murders of two unarmed protesters on Bloody Sunday.
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