Torture in Afghanistan common, U.S. report says

The date of the article is 3 days off so it's too late for it to be breaking news. But I think that it's strange. We've been talking so much about the Abu Gharaib prisons but we've been overlooking the other prisons around the world. These prisons are all bad for us. They show people that we're not really defenders of freedom and liberty... that we're just more like the Nazis, and, we treat all enemy combatants as inhumane subjects, and even if they're innocent, we still treat them inhumanely. I predict that once Abu-Gharaib is closed many of the people there will be transferred to the prisons of Afghanistan.

OTTAWA–Torture and other serious abuses remain commonplace in Afghanistan prisons, says the U.S. State Department's 2009 report on Afghan human rights.

"Human rights organizations report local authorities tortured and abused detainees. Torture and abuse methods included ... beating by stick, scorching bar or iron bar, flogging by cable, battering by rod, electric shock, deprivation of sleep, water and food, abusive language, sexual humiliation and rape," says the report released Thursday.

The 25-page report, available on the department's website, comes at a time when the Canadian government is refusing to release documents that opposition critics say may shed light on how much Canadian officials knew between 2005-07 of allegations of torture and abuse of prisoners they handed over to Afghan officials.

Conservative cabinet ministers, government officials and military brass have argued there were no credible allegations of torture, despite information such as current and previous reports from the U.S. State Department.

NDP defence critic MP Jack Harris said it was sad to think the U.S. government openly provides information on torture while the federal government refuses to even release independent human rights reports, citing confidentiality.

"They should be public documents just the like the Americans' are ...," Harris said.

Stuart Hendin, a University of Ottawa expert on armed conflict and human rights law, said the U.S. report is clear that Afghan detention centres are fraught with problems, "and it is difficult to comprehend why the U.S. State Department can make that finding and somehow our military leadership seems to take the position there were no problems."

The Conservatives have appointed retired Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci to vet secret documents to determine what can be released, but the government is defying a Commons order to turn them over in the meantime.

www.thestar.com...

reply to post by Frankidealist35



Anyone surprised by this is very naive. Show me a country that never tortured POW’s or detainees? Even if they didn’t release this info did anyone doubt that such things are going on?

There are countless reports of US military raping and killing sovilianse, and same for Iraqi and afghan military.

I might be mistaken, but isn't that website reference (thestar.com) a glam tabloid?

reply to post by Artilleryman


You can find it elsewhere on the web too if you don't like that source. There are many other places where it's been reported.