There has been one conviction, a corporal who received a one-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to the inhumane treatment of detainees. Meanwhile, the Justice and Security Act, which effectively prevents victims bringing claims of torture against the British government, has become law. Ministers furiously insist that the claims are vexatious – and with some justice. In March a public inquiry into allegations that soldiers had murdered Iraqi prisoners and mutilated their bodies collapsed after the most important claims were shown to be false. Nevertheless, the contrast with 1991, when Iraqi prisoners were as a whole treated with exemplary care and compassion, is striking. It is obvious to any reasonable observer that something went very wrong at the time of the Iraq invasion.