Ottawa pressured to investigate Afghan detainee torture issue

OTTAWA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Opposition parliamentarians in Canada are pressuring the government Thursday to investigate after a former diplomat said Canadian military continued to transfer Afghan prisoners to local authorities despite evidence of torture.

Richard Colvin, who served in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, said Afghan intelligence forces tortured every detainee handed over to them by Canadian forces over a two-year period. Besides, a lot of the prisoners were innocent.

Appearing before a special committee in the House of Commons, Colvin said he raised the issue to senior government officials on at least 17 occasions, but was never responded.

Canada has about 2,800 soldiers based in southern Afghanistan. The troops first began transferring detainees to Afghan authorities in late 2005. In 2007, allegations of prisoner abuse forced Ottawa to sign a deal with Afghan government to better protect the detainees.

According to Colvin, the abuses had continued even after that agreement was signed but the Canadian military ignored that.

The opposition New Democratic Party on Thursday called for a full public inquiry of the issue, saying Canada's reputation as a champion for human rights has been hurt.

Meanwhile the government has defended itself saying most senior officials did not get Colvin's report at all. A parliamentarian from the ruling Conservative party questioned the credibility of Colvin's allegations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon on Thursday defended the government's conduct in Afghanistan, saying respect for the rule of law is an essential aspect of the Canadian Forces operation.