(Source: Lib Dem press release 22 May 2006) As the Armed Forces Bill has its final reading in the House of Commons, the Liberal Democrats have tabled amendments to achieve effective representation for British servicemen and women:

The British Armed Forces Federation continues to support the campaign on behalf of Iraqis who are now in danger as a result of having worked alongside British forces or diplomats. Our support has been at the urgent request of serving BAFF members, along with ex-service members who have relied on local staff while on operations.

Has your MP signed EDM 401, a House of Commons 'Early Day Motion' initiated by Lynne Featherstone MP?

That this House recognises the courage of Iraqis who have worked alongside British troops and diplomats in southern Iraq, often saving British lives; notes that many such Iraqis have been targeted for murder by Iraqi militias in Basra, and that an unknown number have already been killed, whilst many others are in hiding; further recognises that many Iraqis who have worked for fewer than 12 months for the UK are threatened by death squads; and therefore calls upon the Prime Minister to meet the UK's moral obligations by offering resettlement to all Iraqis who are threatened with death for the "crime" of helping British troops and diplomats.

Ask your MP to sign the EDM if they haven't already. You can check here to see who has signed it: House of Commons - EDM 401

• BAFF obtained advice for the campaigners on a legal question;
• We supplied information on previous situations in which British forces personnel had successfully taken steps to protect local staff;
• From colleagues in Denmark, we obtained valuable information which has been put to good use by British campaigners and media.

Eadar-theangairean Iraqi a' faighinn comraich san Danmhairg...

BBC Scotland's weekly Gaelic-language TV magazine 'Eorpa' ('Europe') had a piece on 13 December 2007 about Iraqi interpreters being given asylum in Denmark. Along with interviews with former local staff, a Danish military spokesman emphasises the vital importance of interpreters in post-conflict operations, and a People's Party MP explains why his party decided to make an exception to their anti-immigration stance for these Iraqis.

external links

• WeOweItToThem - campaigning site
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office - Iraq Locally Engaged Staff Assistance Scheme - original link no longer available on FCO website
• Operational Updates - An overview of UNHCR's plans and strategies in Iraq and the region
• Iraqis interpreting 'betrayal' - report from Basra by Panorama's Jane Corbin

• Hundreds of Iraqi interpreters denied chance to live in UK - from The Times, 9 Jan 2008

• Interpreters used by British Army 'hunted down' by Iraqi death squads - The Independent, 17 November 2006

The British Armed Forces Federation (BAFF) welcomes news that the army is exploring ways to recruit more Muslims. This will be an extension of well-established efforts to increase representation from minority British communities.

BAFF Chairman, Douglas Young, said that "This isn't, and mustn't ever become, about political correctness.

The Howard League for Penal Reform’s Inquiry into Former Armed Service Personnel in Prison published its final report recently in the run up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday 25th June:

A BBC Radio 4 investigation asks why the Ministry of Defence continues to use a drug that has been shown to cause psychosis, hallucinations, paranoia and confusion. It is alleged that, unlike other travellers who are able to make an informed choice and change their medication if they experience problems, some British service personnel in malarial regions have been given no choice and, in some cases, have been ignored when they reported side effects.

The Bolton News reports that new research is being carried out in Bolton to find out why (according to some sources) there are "so many" Armed Forces veterans in prison. It is a controversial subject, on which serious fact-based research is to be warmly welcomed.

Veterans' mental health charity Combat Stress report a 26% increase in the number of ex-Service personnel seeking help for mental ill-health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) over the last year. They say that the increase is mainly accounted for by a marked rise in those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan seeking help.

The local staff safety issue has been coming up again lately, with new reporting by The Times's Deborah Haynes. BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat says that hundreds of Afghan interpreters are worried they'll be killed after British forces leave Afghanistan -

The courts have decreed in a number of cases, such as the Afghan detainee case only last week, that insurgents and criminals detained by British forces in Iraq or Afghanistan are covered by the Human Rights Act. Now the UK Supreme Court has determined in the Pte Jason Smith case by a majority of 6 votes to 3 that the jurisdiction of the Act does not extend to British forces personnel on overseas missions. Part of the reasoning for that decision is that all British armed forces personnel, including compulsorily mobilised personnel like Scottish TA soldier Jason Smith, are volunteers. Giving his initial reaction to the Supreme Court's judgement issued today 30 Jun 2010, BAFF Chairman Douglas Young said that:

French soldiers' rights campaigners have welcomed President François Hollande's announcement that they will be allowed to form professional associations, following two rulings in October by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).