Afghan Detainees - 2007-05-08
What’s going on in Afghanistan?
Putting aside for the moment that this whole detainee torture issue could have been easily diffused and avoided by the conservative government admitting there was a problem and holding these detainees in Canadian custody until agreements were in place to allow Canada to monitor their treatment. This issue has brought to light the true arrogance of Steve Harper’s government and their obvious inability to be effectual and transparent.
Steve Harper has alluded to the fact that the Afghan detainees are less entitled to humane treatment because they are our enemies. Isn’t that what the Geneva convention is all about, fair treatment of prisoners of war? If we are there to promote our belief in democracy, human rights and personal freedoms, we have to demonstrate these virtues by our actions.
Another thing that bothered me about Steve Harper and his government’s treatment of this issue is that they continue to aver that there is no proof that these people were tortured or maltreated while in Afghan custody. Whether they were or weren’t maltreated is not the issue. It is the responsibility of our government, to ensure the safety of the people who we’ve captured and delivered to the custody of any other entity.
It seems that everyone attached to the government has a different story about the detainees, access to the detainees and their treatment. Not only did each member of the government have a different story but their story changed from day to day. This would lead one to believe that the government doesn’t have any idea what’s going on in Afghanistan or they feel that the Canadian public is so gullible they’ll believe the conservative rhetoric, misleading statements and falsehoods which seem to be a cornerstone of their normal communications.
