JURIST - Paper Chase: Canada commission concludes Afghan detainees not abused in custody

[JURIST] The Canadian Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) [official website] released a report [text, PDF] Monday concluding that three Afghan detainees were not mistreated [press release] while in Canadian military police custody in Kandahar in 2006. The probe began following a civilian complaint filed by University of Ottawa law professor Amir Attaran [faculty profile], whose research uncovered a pattern of suspicious injuries on three detainees captured in April 2006 and later released. The MPCC found:

that the allegation of inhumane treatment of the detainees by military police members is not substantiated in that: no harm was caused to the detainees by any acts or omissions on the part of the military police; and, the detainees were afforded prompt and appropriate medical care while in military police custody.

The report also found that the military police failed to investigate the cause of a head injury to one of the detainees and that they should have done so. The report recommends further study on the role of military police and more comprehensive training and research.

The Canadian government ordered the inquiry [JURIST report] in February 2007. Monday's report dealt only with allegations by Attaran. There are ongoing investigations into complaints [JURIST report] filed by Amnesty International Canada (AIC) and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) [advocacy websites]. Following public outcry, Canada signed a new agreement regarding detainee transfers [JURIST report] with the Afghan government in May 2007, giving Canada the right to inspect detainees following their transfer.

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