"Un-canadian, counterproductive and probably illegal." That is how Richard Colvin, a diplomat who served in Afghanistan, describes the Canadian armed forces' practice in 2006 and early 2007 of handing detainees over to Afghan authorities, who are known to use torture, without monitoring their welfare. Speaking to a parliamentary committee on November 18th Mr Colvin said that all the detainees whom Canadian troops had handed over in this period were probably tortured, and implied that the government knew this and tried to cover it up.
展开▼
