Secrecy around UK military civilian harm ‘risks undermining public confidence’

A tribunal found that the UK government's secrecy regarding its tracking of civilian deaths in military operations risks undermining public trust. The ruling stemmed from a freedom of information case filed by Airwars, a conflict monitoring group, concerning a UK bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Airwars sought details about a single civilian death acknowledged by the UK, which differed from US-led coalition records. While the judge ruled against Airwars citing national security, he emphasized the public's legitimate interest in the procedures used to assess civilian harm. The absence of published guidelines, unlike the US, raises concerns about the integrity and comprehensiveness of the UK's assessment process. Airwars views the ruling as validation for greater transparency regarding civilian harm in UK military actions.

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