BAHA-3 Response Accepted

Broaden Stress Position Definition

Recommendation

The definition of stress positions in JDP 1-10 and elsewhere should be broadened so that it is not dependent upon the intention of the person enforcing the position.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Defence Secretary stated on 8 September 2011 that the government accepted this recommendation and stated that the definition had been broadened so that any physical posture which a captured person is deliberately required to maintain will be a stress position if it becomes painful, extremely uncomfortable or exhausting, regardless of the intention of the person enforcing the position (Government Response to the Baha Mousa Inquiry, Ministry of Defence, September 2011).
- Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 (Captured Persons) was first published on 1 October 2011, shortly after the Baha Mousa Inquiry report (8 September 2011), and has since been updated to a Fourth Edition published 28 September 2020, incorporating lessons from the Baha Mousa and Al-Sweady inquiries as well as Supreme Court judgments (JDP 1-10, Fourth Edition, Ministry of Defence, September 2020).
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Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted Ministry of Defence
08 Sep 2011

Accepted. The definition has been broadened to: 'Any physical posture which a captured person is deliberately required to maintain will be a stress position if it becomes painful, extremely uncomfortable or exhausting to maintain.'

Read Full Response
Source
Report The Report of the Baha Mousa Inquiry - Volume III 08 Sep 2011
Responsible Bodies
Ministry of Defence Primary
Recommendation age 14.7 yrs
Last formal update 5013 days ago