About 100 passengers and crew members of a British Airways flight, held hostage in Kuwait in 1990 at the onset of the Gulf War, have begun legal proceedings against the British government and the airline, as announced by a law firm on Monday.
On August 2, 1990, while traveling from London to Kuala Lumpur, British Airways Flight 149 made a stop in Kuwait just hours after the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait under President Saddam Hussein. All passengers were kept for several days in a nearby hotel by the Iraqi army and were then transported to Baghdad, where they were used as "human shields" at strategic locations. Some passengers and crew members, totaling 367 individuals, spent over four months in captivity and were "used as human shields against Western attacks on Saddam Hussein's forces during the Gulf War."
The website "National Interest" noted that the swift victory of the U.S.-led coalition forces over the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War instilled terror and panic among Chinese military leaders.
The law firm "Macur & Partners" stated that 94 of them have filed a civil lawsuit in the High Court in London, accusing the British government and British Airways of "deliberately endangering civilians." The firm added, "All plaintiffs suffered severe physical and psychological harm during their ordeal, and the consequences are still felt today."
The complainants claim that the UK government and the airline "were aware of the invasion's commencement," yet allowed the plane to land regardless because it had been used to insert a team into Kuwait for a special military operation. The British government denied this allegation and apologized in November 2021 for failing to warn British Airways about the invasion.
Matthew Jury from "Macur & Partners" stated that "the British government and British Airways endangered the lives and safety of innocent civilians due to a military operation." He accused the government and the airline of "hiding the truth and refusing to acknowledge it for over 30 years," noting that all victims of the flight "deserve justice."
A statement quoted one passenger, Barry Manners, as saying: "We were treated not as citizens, but as pawns for political and commercial gain." He added that "a victory after years of concealment and denial will help restore confidence in our political and judicial processes."
