Prisoners in Afghanistan

The Tories can't seem to get a common line established on this matter. This certainly leaves them open to criticism by the media. O'Connor does not seem to perform very well when under the gun so to speak although he is no doubt well liked as someone who is stocking the military larder. This is from the http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070430.DETAINEE30/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/.
There seems never any mention of US torture in Afghanistan or the payment for prisoners and rendering them to Guantanamo. See this site.


PRISONERS IN AFGHANISTAN: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES

Tories at odds with NATO on torture
'We have yet to see one specific allegation of torture,' Van Loan says as NATO boss welcomes probe
SIMON TUCK and DANIEL LEBLANC AND BRIAN LAGHI

OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF; With a report from Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Reeling from the fallout over reports of abuse against Afghan prisoners, the Harper government has changed its position again, now disputing the very existence of allegations that prisoners handed over by Canadian troops were tortured.

As members of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission were finally granted monitoring access to a detention facility at the centre of the story, Tory Government House Leader Peter Van Loan backed off earlier suggestions from the Prime Minister and senior military officers that serious allegations have been revealed in The Globe and Mail.

"We have yet to see one specific allegation of torture," the minister told CTV's Question Period. "The issue is that people like [Liberal MP Ujjal] Mr. Dosanjh keep repeating that there are accusations of torture. If they have a specific name, we'd be happy to have it investigated and chased down, but they continue to repeat the baseless accusations made by those who wish to undermine our forces there."

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has welcomed just such an investigation. He is the head of the alliance that commands Canadian and most other troops in Afghanistan.

"We have seen that the Afghan authorities are ready to make an inquiry into these allegations - it's still allegations - on the way some detainees were treated. We are in Afghanistan, Canada is, and 36 other NATO allies and partners are there, to uphold and defend what I call universal values. Part of [those] universal values is an adequate treatment of detainees and of prisoners. I'm happy with what I saw, on the basis of these universal values, that the Afghan government is ready to launch an inquiry."

In Europe for a meeting with NATO allies, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said over the weekend that the fate of the allied operation in Afghanistan -- in which 54 Canadian soldiers have died so far -- could reach a "tipping point."

"While I don't want to sound alarmist, I think there is going to be a tipping point unless we are able to stabilize [southern Afghanistan, especially], unless we are able to get on with building the economy, rule of law and government institutions."

A Globe investigation, based on 30 face-to-face interviews with men recently captured in Kandahar province, uncovered a range of horrific stories and a clear pattern of abuse by Afghan authorities who work closely with Canadian troops.

Some of the allegations were made by four men, whose names were published, and who were originally detained by Canadian forces.

Mr. Dosanjh, appearing on the same segment of the program, said Mr. Van Loan's comments were "bunk."

Officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of Defence had no comment, but the Tory minister repeated the government's request for apologies from those repeating the accusations, as various arms of the civil service dispute who is responsible for the Afghanistan mission.

A government document says that federal civilian agencies involved in the Afghan reconstruction were hesitant to help modernize jails slated to house detainees captured by Canadian soldiers.

The document, prepared in January, 2006, by defence officials for a meeting of deputy ministers, says that National Defence planned to approach the Canadian International Development Agency and Foreign Affairs for help to construct buildings for detainees handed over by Canadian troops, but that the civilian departments were disinclined to help.

"DND will approach CIDA and FAC for support of Canadian programming," said the briefing note for the meeting, which has exacerbated internal bickering about who is responsible for the mission. "CIDA officials have been reluctant to get involved in corrections work, arguing it is not listed as one of the assistance priorities in the (Government of Canada) Country Strategy. ... Foreign Affairs has shown support but similarly would not like to see a major change in priorities set for Afghanistan," said the document, which was created for a meeting of deputy ministers in Ottawa on Jan. 24th last year.

The document, unearthed by the NDP through an access-to-information request, comes as government departments involved in the Afghan mission engage in a public display of infighting after a week in which the Conservatives were rocked by reports that detainees turned over by Canadians soldiers are being tortured.

NDP MP Dawn Black said departments seemed to want to get out of the way of a difficult and controversial file. "It was a hot potato between the different departments of government and no one wanted to take leadership and deal with it directly."

Asked about the briefing note, a senior defence official said on the weekend that it shows the Canadian Forces are the driving force on the mission in Afghanistan, even on an issue such as the human rights of the detainees that could have been tackled by other departments.

"Defence is simply doing too many things that are not in their security mandate because the absence of CIDA and [the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade] is putting the success of the military mission at risk," the defence official said. "In order to succeed in Afghanistan, we'll need the three departments, plus Public Safety, to work together."

On the issue of detainees, the official added the document is "proof that Defence has to push everyone to make things happen."

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has also complained privately that he felt that he was left isolated by other departments on the issue of the detainees.

Canadian forces routinely hold detainees for a few days of questioning at Kandahar Air Field, then give them to the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's feared intelligence police. But detainees described how Canadians tied their hands with plastic straps, marking the start of nightmarish journeys through shadowy jails and blood-spattered interrogation rooms.

None of the abuse was inflicted by Canadians, and most Afghans captured -- even Taliban sympathizers -- praised the Canadian soldiers for their politeness, their gentle handling of captives and conditions in their detention facility.

CBC News yesterday said that members of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission were allowed into the prison run by the National Directorate of Security. The report said the monitors were "warmly received" by directorate agents, although two agents followed them as they tried to interview detainees.

The issue of whether detainees captured by Canadian troops are being properly treated in Afghan jails has troubled the Conservative government -- Mr. O'Connor in particular -- since last year when it was revealed that the agreement between the Canadian military and the Afghan government offers weaker human-rights safeguards than a deal struck with the Dutch.

In March, Mr. O'Connor was forced to acknowledge in the House of Commons that the International Committee of the Red Cross does not inform Canada of the treatment of detainees captured by Canadian troops and transferred to Afghan authorities.

The government's changing story

Officials of our government will be following up these allegations with officials of the government of Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday

[We're] taking this matter seriously

Brigadier-General Al Howard on Tuesday

We have heard these allegations. We always take these allegations seriously.

Primer Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday

... to make that suggestion [of torture] solely based on the allegations of the Taliban, I think is the height of irresponsibility.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper later on Wednesday

If they have a specific name, we'd be happy to have it investigated and chased down.

Government House Leader

Peter Van Loan yesterday