Britain now seen as a 'safe haven' for war criminals

London, Apr.6 (ANI): Record numbers of alleged mass murderers and torturers have found safe haven in the UK, making this country one of the war criminal capitals of the world, The Independent has reported.

Among the war crimes suspects living in Britain are senior officials from the regime of Saddam Hussein, a member of the Criminal Investigations Department in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe, and a Congolese police chief who confessed to a crime during a media interview.

But although the Home Office has handed the names of 51 suspects to the Metropolitan Police, not a single case has been prosecuted in the UK courts.

A further 500 suspects uncovered in the past five years have been refused residency or immigration and refugee status because of government concerns over their involvement in war crimes.

The new figures, obtained by the Aegis Trust, a human rights group which campaigns against genocide, after a question from the Tory MP Stephen Crabb, a member of the House of Commons International Development Committee, paints a picture of Britain fast becoming the destination of choice for war criminals on the run.

The Government enacted new war crimes legislation nine years ago which gave the courts the power to try suspects accused of committing war crimes overseas. To date only one British soldier has been convicted under this legislation. (ANI)