The story so far:
Canadian dip Richard Colvin says he reported to dozens of superiors in the Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the Department of Defence that Afghan prisoners of Canadian troops were almost certainly being tortured, even executed, on being handed over to Afghan authorities. He says officials in the two departments didn't want to know, and that he was told by Prime Minister Harper's office (no less) to shut up about it.
Scene two. Harpoon clams up, refuses to take, let alone answer questions from the press on his return to Canada from a junket through Asia. (There was no time in Steve's busy schedule to look in on the grunts in the `Stan. Some of `em will be dead before the next election anyway.) Tory attack dogs John Boor and Peter MacHackey call Colvin's allegations unbelievable. They described Colvin's allegations as "hearsay", "unsubstantiated" and "simply not credible.
Retired General Rick Hillier, M.A. (Master of Arslikhan) supports the government, says Afghanistan is not like Somalia. But now we hear from the present Canadian Chief of Staff, General Walt Natynczyk. [Gezundheit! ed.] To MacLie's annoyance, Natynczyk confirmed our army stopped transferring prisoners to Afghan authorities on more than one occasion because of concerns about abuse. Until he dropped that little bombshell, the government position had been that the issue had come up only once.
Yesterday an Afghan rights agency, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, weighed in with its latest report. It says it has documented nearly 400 cases of torture from across the war-ravaged country.
On Saturday I wrote that torture of prisoners of war is forbidden under the Geneva Convention. It is also contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada, and violators can now face trial in Canada for war crimes committed outside of the country. Ah, but...some would say...our troops did not actually torture anyone. Walt's legal advisor (Agent 3) says that if Mr. Colvin's allegations are true, Canadian troops could be found guilty of aiding and abetting the torturers by handing the prisoners over. Even if they didn't intend for the prisoners to be tortured by their compatriots, they are at least guilty of criminal negligence in handing them over, knowing that they might well be tortured or worse.
Who knew what? Who did what? Who did nothing? Let's have a public enquiry, starting later today if possible! A parliamentary committee is already asking questions, but -- remember the Schreiber enquiry -- parliamentary committees are by definition more concerned with politics than human rights abuses. Let's get a judge, someone like Louise Arbour, on this.
Showing posts with label Rick Hillier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rick Hillier. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
The great service of General Hillier
General Rick Hillier (ret'd) is an ambiable Newfoundlander who for some time was chief of Canada's defence staff. According to Gen. Hillier, defending Canada included joining in the American war on Afghanistan. In fact, Hillier was a most effective promoter of Canada's military mission in Kandahar.
Some of us questioned whether Hillier was genuinely in agreement with the mission's policy rationale. It was suggested that perhaps he was just doing his master's bidding -- his master being "Call me Steve" Harper -- and parroting his master's hawkish rhetoric.
Sometime in 2008, Gen. Hillier appeared on CBC Radio's Cross-Country Checkup to defend our military presence in Afghanistan, and make us feel better about the mounting toll in lives and treasure. Agent 3 asked him if he and his political masters were truly singing from the same hymn-sheet, or whether he had any disagreements with the Conservatives' Afghanistan policy.
Oh no, replied the general, Mr. Harper and I see eye-to-eye, absolutely and completely. Anyway, my job is not to question the commander-in-chief's orders, but to execute them. (Did he really say "execute"? ed.)
Apparently General Hillier dissembled. ("Dissemble - v. intr. - To disguise or conceal one's real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance." American Heritage Dictionary)
In his just-released autobiographical book, Hillier contradicts the impression that he was the main architect of the mission. He says that his strategy was to concentrate Canadian efforts in Kabul, rather than take on the more dangerous Kandahar assignment, which had little chance of success.
Hillier goes on to say that our military effort was hampered by timorous and quarrelling civilian and political partners in the Afghan capital. The multi-national endeavour was doomed from the start, he argues.
Hillier is highly critical of NATO, painting the alliance as bereft of ideas or strategies for the Afghan mission. But he cuts closer to the bone in attacking political operators in PM Harpoon's office, along with the pin-striped dips in the Department of Foreign affairs, for undermining the mission and misrepresenting it to the Canadian people.
General Hillier has thus kissed goodbye to any chances he might have had of becoming a Tory candidate in the next election. Could we have had a Minister of Defence who actually knew something about waging war? We'll never know.
We should be grateful to General Rick though for telling the truth, at last. By so doing, he has, perhaps unwittingly, done a great service to Canada and particularly the Canadian troops who might be asked to remain in the hell of Afghanistan for years to come.
Hillier's admissions and attacks have pretty well scuppered any chance of the military mission being extended past the present 2011 end date. The Americans want us to reconsider that deadline. The spineless Peter McHack was already sending up trial balloons to the effect that we might have to stay a little longer and shed a little more blood.
Hillier's book makes it less likely than ever that the tide of Canadian public opinion, running strongly against the Afghan war, can be reversed, even by a majority Tory government.
Some of us questioned whether Hillier was genuinely in agreement with the mission's policy rationale. It was suggested that perhaps he was just doing his master's bidding -- his master being "Call me Steve" Harper -- and parroting his master's hawkish rhetoric.
Sometime in 2008, Gen. Hillier appeared on CBC Radio's Cross-Country Checkup to defend our military presence in Afghanistan, and make us feel better about the mounting toll in lives and treasure. Agent 3 asked him if he and his political masters were truly singing from the same hymn-sheet, or whether he had any disagreements with the Conservatives' Afghanistan policy.
Oh no, replied the general, Mr. Harper and I see eye-to-eye, absolutely and completely. Anyway, my job is not to question the commander-in-chief's orders, but to execute them. (Did he really say "execute"? ed.)
Apparently General Hillier dissembled. ("Dissemble - v. intr. - To disguise or conceal one's real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance." American Heritage Dictionary)
In his just-released autobiographical book, Hillier contradicts the impression that he was the main architect of the mission. He says that his strategy was to concentrate Canadian efforts in Kabul, rather than take on the more dangerous Kandahar assignment, which had little chance of success.
Hillier goes on to say that our military effort was hampered by timorous and quarrelling civilian and political partners in the Afghan capital. The multi-national endeavour was doomed from the start, he argues.
Hillier is highly critical of NATO, painting the alliance as bereft of ideas or strategies for the Afghan mission. But he cuts closer to the bone in attacking political operators in PM Harpoon's office, along with the pin-striped dips in the Department of Foreign affairs, for undermining the mission and misrepresenting it to the Canadian people.
General Hillier has thus kissed goodbye to any chances he might have had of becoming a Tory candidate in the next election. Could we have had a Minister of Defence who actually knew something about waging war? We'll never know.
We should be grateful to General Rick though for telling the truth, at last. By so doing, he has, perhaps unwittingly, done a great service to Canada and particularly the Canadian troops who might be asked to remain in the hell of Afghanistan for years to come.
Hillier's admissions and attacks have pretty well scuppered any chance of the military mission being extended past the present 2011 end date. The Americans want us to reconsider that deadline. The spineless Peter McHack was already sending up trial balloons to the effect that we might have to stay a little longer and shed a little more blood.
Hillier's book makes it less likely than ever that the tide of Canadian public opinion, running strongly against the Afghan war, can be reversed, even by a majority Tory government.
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