Canada rocked by fresh Afghan abuse allegations

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Canada rocked by fresh Afghan abuse allegations

By David Ljunggren
16 minutes ago

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Critics demanded the resignation of Defense
Minister Gordon O'Connor on Monday over fresh allegations that
Afghan prisoners, detained by Canadian soldiers and handed to
local authorities, had been tortured.

The Globe and Mail newspaper talked to 30 men who variously
said they were beaten, starved, frozen, choked and subjected
to electric shocks while in Afghan custody.

Professor Michael Byers of the University of British Columbia, a
leading expert in international relations, said if the allegations
prove true, Canada has broken a United Nations treaty against
torture and the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners
of war.

-snip-

Ottawa is already investigating earlier reports that Canadian
troops had handed over Taliban suspects despite knowing they
could be harmed.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070423/wl_canada_nm/canada_afghan_col

[MADem]

1. Uh, oh....

This isn't good. Is it a "misery loves company?" thing or what!

"I hope the Canadian people realize just how terrible a day this is. If this report is accurate, Canadians have engaged in war crimes," he told reporters....There was no immediate reaction from the office of Prime Conservative Minister Stephen Harper, who has said his critics care more for the rights of suspected Taliban members than about Canada's troops.

Polls show Canadians are split over the 2,500-soldier mission in the southern city of Kandahar. Canada has lost 54 soldiers so far, nine of them in the last two weeks.

O'Connor last month admitted he had misled Parliament by falsely telling legislators the International Committee of the Red Cross would inform Canada if detainees were being mistreated....According to the Globe report, Mahmad Gul, a farmer, said he was interrogated by Afghan police for three days in May 2006. Canadian soldiers visited him between beatings.

"The Canadians told me 'Give them real information, or they will do more bad things to you,"' Gul said....

[Spazito]

2. The Yahoo article was interesting, but left a lot out

Here is the actual Globe and Mail article, there is a lot more info in it:


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070423.wafghanabuse0423/BNStory/National/home

snip

None of the abuse was inflicted by Canadians, and most Afghans captured – even those who clearly sympathized with the Taliban – praised the Canadian soldiers for their politeness, their gentle handling of captives and their comfortable detention facility.

Still, the experts said, it has long been known that Afghan authorities engage in torture, and that international law prevents any complicity in such activities.

end of snip

I am glad the Globe & Mail followed up on this, the harper government has downplayed, at the very least, or totally ignored this travesty.

[applegrove]

3. At this late date in the "game"...how could they let this happen?