18 Nov Colvin’s torture testimony – #1

Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin told the Commons Committee on Afghan Detainees today that virtually all the prisoners Canada turned over to Afghan security forces in 2006 and 2007 were tortured. Colvin says senior Canadian military and civilian ignored his warnings about the abuse, and Red Cross officials who tried to intervene could not get their phone calls returned for three months. Here is:

• The Canadian Press account of Colvin’s testimony.
• A transcript of his opening statement.
• Video of Bob Rae questioning Peter MacKay on the allegations in Question Period.
• Stories from CBC, the Toronto Sun, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail.

If anyone has video of Colvin’s actual testimony, please send me the link.

The Globe and Mail quotes military and foreign affairs sources as saying Canadian diplomats in Afghanistan in 2007 were ordered to hold back information in their reports to Ottawa about the handling of the prisoners because the explosive human-rights controversy was seen as ‘detracting from the narrative’ Harper government wanted to promote.