Still waiting for full disclosure on Iraq

John Pilger notes the catastrophic health effects of war in Iraq (Comment, 26 May), touching on what is a critical global health emergency. Iraq is poisoned by toxic war pollutants. Sterility, repeated miscarriages, stillbirths and severe birth defects are increasing. In March 2013, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Health in Baghdad discussed an unreleased World Health Organisation report with the BBC. He said: "All studies done by the ministry of health prove with damning evidence that there has been a rise in birth defects and cancers."

This report by the WHO and Iraqi health ministry was due to be published in November 2012, yet it still hasn't been released. In response to this delay, 58 scientists, health professionals and human rights advocates recently wrote asking for the immediate release of their report. We requested that this report be released at once. We received no response. The letter was signed by Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese, Japanese, European, Australian and North American academics and public figures. Why is this important report being held up?
Mozhgan Savabieasfahani
School of public health, University of Michigan

• Phil Shiner's article about the UK courts' exposure of abuses of civilians in the Iraq war (An end to brutality, 10 June) notes that "these terrible acts have occupied the attention of the courts for the last decade". Persistent litigation by dedicated lawyers has cast light into some of the most shameful corners of state activity, such as the murder of Baha Mousa and others who died or were tortured in the custody of British forces. Under proposed "reforms" to legal aid, no such litigation would have been possible, because Baha Mousa and the others would fail the residence test (which will require recipients of legal aid to have been lawfully resident in the UK for a year). Those responsible for these abuses would never have been held accountable. Could these two facts by any chance be related?
Helen Mountfield QC

Today's best video

Today in pictures