Posts Tagged ‘Afghan detainees’
Opposition motion could trigger snap election
February 10 to March 18, 2010 – The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois are moving to assert the supremacy of Parliament over the government’s refusal to provide uncensored documents related to the treatment of Afghan detainees.
The opposition parties have introduced motions that would find the government in contempt of Parliament and could lead to a snap election.
Related Links:
- Parliamentary motion demanding uncensored documents (December 10, 1009)
- Justice Iacobucci’s terms of reference (March 13, 2010)
- Attorney General Rob Nicholson’s response (March 31, 2010)
No evidence of Canadian war crimes, says NATO Secretary General
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he has seen no evidence supporting accusations of war crimes committed by Canadian Forces and diplomats in Afghanistan.
Related videos:
- Video: General Natynczyk reveals Canadian Forces knew of Afghan detainee abuse (December 2009)
- Video: Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations (March-May 2007)
- Video: Canadian diplomat levels war crimes allegations (November 20, 2009)
- Video: Canadian Generals refute war crimes allegations (November 25, 2009)
- Video: Former Afghan advisor denies trying to muzzle Colvin (November 26, 2009)
General Natynczyk reveals Canadian Forces knew of Afghan detainee abuse
December 8 and 9, 2009 - Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff General Walt Natynczyk held a press conference to correct his previous statements that an Afghan detainee who was beaten by Afghan police in June of 2006 had never been in Canadian custody.
Natynczyk says he received a field report earlier in the day that indicates the detainee was indeed captured by Canadian Forces before being turned over to Afghan police.
The individual who was beaten by Afghan police was in fact in Canadian custody and then the ANP took control him …
- General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of Defense Staff
The field report also appears to show that Canadian Forces were aware that Afghan detainees were being abused by Afghan police.
We the photographed the individual, prior to handing him over to ensure that if the Afghan National Police did assault him, as had happened in the past, that we would have a visual record of his condition.
- Canadian Forces Section Commander
Related Videos:
- Video: Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations (March-May 2007)
- Video: Canadian diplomat levels war crimes allegations (November 20, 2009)
- Video: Canadian Generals refute war crimes allegations (November 25, 2009)
- Video: Former Afghan advisor denies trying to muzzle Colvin (November 26, 2009)
Former Afghan adviser denies trying to muzzle Colvin
David Mulroney, Canada’s former senior adviser on Afghanistan and current Ambassador to China, testified before the House of Commons committee on Afghanistan.
Related videos:
- Video: Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations (March-May 2007)
- Video: Canadian diplomat levels war crimes allegations (November 20, 2009)
- Video: Canadian Generals refute war crimes allegations (November 25, 2009)
Canadian Generals refute war crimes allegations
Former Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hiller and former General Michel Gauthier responded to allegations made by Richard Colvin that Canadian Forces handed detainees over to Afghan authorities for torture.
We didn’t base our actions on people making statements like “all detainees were tortured”. How ludicrous a statement is that from any one single individual who really had no knowledge to say anything like that.
- General Hillier
Last week’s evidence states categorically that the very high risk of torture in Afghan prisons was first made known to senior members of the Canadain Forces in May of 2006, and repeatedly therafter. In actual fact I, and others, received such warnings in a substantial manner more than a year later than that.- General Gauthier
Related videos:
- Video: Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations (March-May 2007)
- Video: Canadian diplomat levels war crimes allegations (November 20, 2009)
Canadian diplomat levels war crimes allegations
November 18 to 20, 2009 – Former Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin testified that Canadian Forces knowingly turned over detainees to Afghan authorities for torture.
In April 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said publicly that Canadian military officials don’t send individuals off to be tortured. That was indeed our policy. But behind the military’s wall of secrecy, that unfortunately is exactly what we were doing.
As I learned more about our detainee practices, I came to the conclusion that they were contrary to Canada’s values, contrary to Canada’s interests, contrary to Canada’s official policies, and also contrary to international law. That is, they were un-Canadian, counter-productive, and probably illegal.
- Richard Colvin
Related videos:
- Video: Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations (March-May 2007)
Government under attack over Afghan detainee abuse allegations
March 21 to May 7, 2007 – Opposition parties attack the government over allegations of prisoner abuse by Afghan authorities as reported in a Globe & Mail article and audio slideshow on April 23. They accuse the government of violating the Geneva Conventions by knowingly handing detainees over to Afghans for torture, and demand the resignation of Defense Minister Gordon O’Connor.
The Opposition also cites an internal government report released by the Department of Foreign Affairs under access to information, claiming government cabinet ministers illegally influenced the civil service first to deny the existence of the report, and then to black out portions of the report as part of a “massive systematic cover-up”.
The Opposition further claims that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Red Cross do not have access to detainees as specified under the 2005 Afghan Detainee Agreement, and they accuse the government of lying to Canadians.
The Government says they are unable to confirm the Globe & Mail allegations, and they promised to investigate the issue further. The government also says that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Red Cross do in fact have access to detainees, and that they have been unable to confirm the Globe & Mail reports of abuse. They criticize the Opposition parties for taking the allegations at face value and implying the Canadian military and Minister of Defense are guilty of lying, misconduct and cover-up.
On May 3, the government signed a new detainee agreement that formally spells-out existing arrangements allowing Canadians unrestricted access to detainees.
The accusations seem to have damaged the government’s approval ratings according to a recent SES poll showing divided support for the government’s handling of the issue.
