Canadian soldiers have replaced American forces in Afghanistan, primarily in the Kandahar region, and are soon to be joined by English and Dutch forces. This is not the typical peace-keeping mission which is familiar to all Canadians--this is a shooting war. And as such, questions arise which have long been discussed in the United States. One is the question of the treatment of prisoners.
From
The Toronto Star:
Canadians capture 10 Taliban suspects
Largest group apprehended yet
Raid finds money, bomb materials
May 12, 2006. 12:00 AM
KANDAHAR?-Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan have captured their largest group yet of suspected Taliban fighters in a volatile area north of Kandahar.
The 10 prisoners were apprehended Monday in a compound near Gombad, a village about 70 kilometres north of Kandahar.
Members of A Company, third battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were escorting a convoy to Gombad when they noticed two groups apparently conducting a reconnaissance of the area. Acting on a tip, the soldiers raided the compound where the suspects had taken refuge.
The only shots fired killed a dog that attacked the soldiers, Canadian military spokesman Maj. Marc Theriault said.
Ten prisoners were taken in the raid, including three known to military authorities. Theriault said the men were found with large sums of money and bomb-making materials, including batteries and wires.
"It is by far the largest capture of detainees by Canadians," Theriault said. "We've taken some bad guys off the street."
The prisoners were given a medical examination and were questioned by Canadian authorities before they were handed to the Afghan intelligence service, Theriault said.
Previous Taliban prisoners have been taken by the Afghan National Police and army. Monday's raid was a purely Canadian operation, Theriault said.
John McHugh, an Agence France-Presse photographer embedded with the Canadians, took pictures of the capture. They show detainees with plastic ties around their wrists and blindfolds.
Military officials have advised him to suppress them. It's the first time the Canadian Forces have had to deal with the issue of suppressing photos of detainees. The military's position echoes a U.S. bid to use the Geneva Convention to block pictures of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuses, saying publishing them would violate the prisoners' rights.
McHugh, who said he saw no evidence the prisoners were mistreated, said he plans to publish the photos. He said they show no identifying details of the prisoners.
As reported by the Canadian Press, and publish in
The Toronto Star.
What is ironic about this is that the media in Canada are demanding to know what the military has "to hide." The Canadian deployment to Afghanistan is being increasingly criticized in Canada, especially as the dead and wounded come home. Rather than acknowledging that the Canadian Defense Forces are operating under the provision of the Geneva Convention, the press are suspicious that Prime Minister Harper's government may be attempting to keep information from the public.
The second paragraph of Article 13, Part II, of the Third Geneva Convention, that part being entitled
General Protection of Prisoners of War, reads, in its entirety:
Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.
The London (Ontario)
Free Press says
News Service asked to hold prisoner photos. The Toronto Globe and Mail alleges that
Forces try to suppress photos of prisoners. Compare this to the treatment of "detainees" by Americans, and in particular, the treatment of "detainees" at Abu Ghraib. There is definitely a difference of style.
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