A heavily censored stack of documents which the Canadian government has released has brought new revelations about torture (and worse):

Afghans routinely executed detainees: soldier

OTTAWA, Mar 25 (CP) – A Canadian soldier has alleged that Afghan authorities routinely executed detainees his unit handed over to them, newly released documents show…

The accusation that detainees were killed by Afghan army or police officers comes from a Canadian soldier with the Royal Canadian Regiment who served in the Panjwai district. Upon returning to Canada, he told a military doctor treating him for stress about his concerns.

“After they handed over the detainee, the local authority would walk the detainee out of range and the detainee would be shot,” says a 2008 report on the soldier’s claims. “This occurred on more than one occasion.” …

An April 2007 by a Foreign Affairs official who joined a Correctional Service of Canada staffer on an “exhaustive inspection” of the notorious National Directorate of Security facility in Kandahar City also cites claims of abuse.

Amnesty International has complained that military police failed to probe officers who directed the transfer of detainees to Afghan authorities despite knowing they might be tortured.

A February 2008 memo prepared at National Defence Headquarters by Capt. S.M. Moore… notes a survey conducted “in theatre revealed that soldiers stated they had witnessed the abuse of detainees” — yet the information was not immediately passed on to military police.

It adds that on Feb. 15, 2008, two unknown individuals approached a female military police member when she exited the shower, grabbed her arms, pushed her against the shower wall and told her: “MPs mind your own business.” … (link)

Dave Markland

Dave Markland

Dave Markland lives in Vancouver where he organizes with Stopwar.ca and regularly blogs for rabble.ca.