Allegations Cdns. Handed Afghan Prisoners Over For Torture
Posted April 23, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a stunning allegation and if it’s true, it could turn an already disquieted public against Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan.
Critics complain that our troops fighting overseas are turning Afghan prisoners over to local authorities, with the full knowledge that their new captors are torturing, beating, whipping and electrocuting them.
The contentions aren’t proven, but they’re already raising a firestorm in Ottawa.
“Canadian forces cannot be turned into a collection agency for torturers,” insists law Professor Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa.
“If this report is accurate, Canadians have engaged in war crimes, not only individually, but also as a matter of policy,” adds U. of B.C. law professor Michael Byers.
Both believe Canadian officials must know what’s going on, because torture has long been a part of the Afghan system for dealing with prisoners.
Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor had told the House of Commons the Red Cross was monitoring any inhumane treatment. But he was later forced to admit the international body only reports its findings to countries it’s actually inspecting.
O’Connor tried to deflect the criticism on Monday.
“We recently had an agreement with the Human Rights Commission, and they have promised to advise us if any of our detainees are abused,” he responds.
Some critics want this country to have an agreement like Britain or the Netherlands, which allows their troops to check on prisoners in Afghan custody. But that doesn’t satisfy the experts.
“We can of course build our own detention facility and allow the Afghan authorities to come in and to co-operate in legal interrogations of detainees,” suggests Byers.
None of the alleged abuse was inflicted by Canadians, but that won’t stop the opposition from inflicting some torture of its own on the already beleaguered defence minister over the next few days.
