LONDON - Britain's House of Lords ruled Wednesday the death of an Iraqi prisoner in British custody required an inquiry into whether human rights laws had been broken.

Baha Mousa, a 26-year-old hotel worker was allegedly tortured over a period of 36 hours in 2003 while detained by British troops in Basra. In a 4-1 ruling, the law lords ruled Britain's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights applied to the conduct of its troops, The Guardian reported.

The lords rejected a claim by the Ministry of Defense that Britain's Human Rights Act does not apply outside the country, The Telegraph reported.

At a court-martial this year, seven soldiers charged in connection with the abuse of Iraqi civilians including Mousa were cleared of all charges, the report said.

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