General

As many as 600 detainees may have been handed over

British government releases figures on detainee transfers

Just how many detainees did Canadian soldiers hand over to Afghan authorities who, according to Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin, more than likely tortured them? The government isn’t saying, but based on numbers released by the British government, it could be as many as 600. British authorities claim their soldiers took 97 Afghans into custody before transferring them to Afghan officials between the start of 2006 and the summer of 2007. During his testimony before a Commons committee, Colvin said Canada had transferred six times as many as the British, putting the Canadian tally somewhere around 600. Colvin also testified many of the detainees transferred by Canada had likely committed no crime. “Some of these Afghans may have been footsoldiers or day fighters,” he said, “but many were just local people, farmers, truck drivers, tailors, peasants, random human beings in the wrong place at the wrong time, young men in their fields and villages, who were completely innocent, but were nevertheless rounded up.”

Ottawa Citizen

 

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: