Canadians Die While Military Worries about Taliban Rights

Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday September 9, 2009

Even as two more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan (bringing the total to 129), the Canadian Military Police Complaints Commission continues to dig up dirt on Canadian troops over their handling of Taliban prisoners.

There’s no shortage of irony in the 128th and 129th Canadian soldier being killed in Afghanistan at a time when the Canadian Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) seeks damning information on Canadians allegedly mistreating three Taliban prisoners they turned over to Afghan custody in 2006.

Why is this an issue today, after Amnesty International and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association failed to persuade the courts in 2007 that Canadians turning over Taliban prisoners to the Afghan National Police was a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

While it’s not germane to this case, most Canadians couldn’t give a damn what happens to Taliban fighters captured by Canadians. So what if our guys don’t treat them gently? That doesn’t imply torture, but it does imply firmness.

A “public interest investigation” has been held concerning “the possible abuse of individuals apprehended by members of the Canadian Forces in 2006.”

This complaint was launched by Ottawa University law professor Amir Attaran, regarding three suspect Taliban whom the military police allegedly roughed up (“contusions,” “abrasions,” “lacerations” on their upper bodies), when they were turned over to Afghan police. And the MPCC is complying.

Human rights advocates worry that prisoners turned over to the Afghans might be tortured which, if true, would reflect badly on Canadians who captured them. Short of setting up our own Canadian-run prison system in Afghanistan, there’s no foolproof way to guarantee that Afghans won’t be rough on prisoners.

Besides, Canadian soldiers are in Afghanistan to oppose the Taliban and help the people. We are not there as colonizers, occupiers, or conquerors giving orders and running the country. It is not our country.

Groups like Amnesty International see theirs as a broader mandate, but what in hell is the Military Police Complaints Commission dabbling in this swamp for?

If the military police in Kandahar roughed up prisoners, deal with it internally and not through a public inquiry. This is not an Abu Ghraib scandal, not waterboarding, not torture. It is three suspect Taliban prisoners who didn’t get medical aid for minor injuries.

A final report in April by the chairman of the MPCC (Peter Tinsley – the  prosecutor in the Somalia court martial) recommends what could be classified as more cultural and sensitivity training for soldiers, but no admission of abuses.

Chatter and protestations from the MPCC about openness and transparency is misguided and unnecessary. The MPCC has enough on its plate dealing with soldiers who have grievances. At best, their record is spotty and controversial. How is the “appearance” of independent assessment enhanced by retired military officers in charge?

In no way is ill-treatment or torture by Canadians justified – and there is nothing to suggest this is happening. Any roughing up of suspect Taliban prisoners, pales to what would be their fate were they captured by Afghan soldiers.

Subpoenas served on former commanders of our troops in Kandahar, and on foreign affairs staff and the chief of the Correctional Service of Canada (as reported by the Canadian Press), seems misguided.

Military Police are viewed warily by soldiers, and its Complaints Commission is regarded with skepticism. Public hearings will create more doubts than reassurances.

Our soldiers risk being blown to smithereens by roadside bombs every time they leave camp. They don’t need their own people working overtime to dig up dirt. Forget what happened 3½ years ago – worry about tomorrow.

Category: News