General

Colvin strikes back

Diplomat says other witnesses gave “inaccurate or incomplete” testimony on torture in Afghanistan

In a 16-page letter aimed at rebuking detractors who dismissed his testimony about detainee abuse in Afghanistan, Richard Colvin claims Ottawa was given plenty of warning about the likelihood prisoners would be tortured by Afghan authorties. Those who say otherwise, including military officials who contested his testimony before a Parliamentary committee, are providing “inaccurate or incomplete” evidence, he writes. According to Colvin, Ottawa was handed at least six reports on the matter, including one in which torture was described as “rife” within Afghan jails. Colvin also writes he met with 12 to 15 Canadian officials in March 2007, telling them the Afghan intelligence service “tortures people, that’s what they do, and if we don’t want our detainees tortured, we shouldn’t give them to the [Afghans].” He also dismissed government accusations his findings of abuse were based on reports from Taliban prisoners, arguing his information came from “highly credible sources.”

CBC News

Colvin’s letter

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