GENEVA, 13 April, 2021 (TON): On Monday, UNHCR chief Michelle Bachelet called on the British legislators to amend the proposed new Overseas Operations Bill.

She emphasized that the bill could lead to shielding its military personnel operating abroad from due accountability for acts of torture or other serious international crimes.

She stated, "As currently drafted, the Bill would make it substantially less likely that UK service members on overseas operations would be held accountable for serious human rights violations amounting to international crimes."

"The purpose of the bill is to provide greater certainty for Service personnel and veterans in relation to claims and potential prosecution for historical events that occurred in the complex environment of armed conflict overseas," the explanatory notes on the UK Parliament’s site said.

However, the Bill is underway reaching its final stages in the legislative process, and will shortly be debated again by the House of Lords, the UK's upper chamber, where amendments may still be made.