Posted on 01/18/2008 4:07:30 PM PST by devane617
A training manual for Canadian diplomats lists the United States and Israel as countries where prisoners are at risk of being tortured, citing U.S. interrogation techniques such as stripping prisoners, blindfolding and sleep deprivation. The Canadian Foreign Affairs Department document, released Friday, singled out the U.S. detention center at Guantánamo Bay -- where a Canadian citizen is held. Also on the list are Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria as places where inmates could face torture.
The listing drew a sharp response from the United States, a key NATO ally and trading partner, which asked to removed from the manual.
''We find it to be offensive for us to be on the same list with countries like Iran and China. Quite frankly it's absurd,'' U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins told The Associated Press. ``For us to be on a list like that is just ridiculous.''
He said the United States does not authorize nor does it condone torture. ''We think it should be removed and we've made that request. We have voiced our opinion very forcefully,'' Wilkins said.
Canada said the manual is for training, and does not amount to official government policy.
A Canadian citizen, Omar Khadr, 21, is in custody at Guantánamo, but Canada has long publicly said it accepts U.S. assurances that Khadr is being treated humanely.
One of Khadr's lawyers, Dennis Edney, said the document shows Canada says one thing publicly and another privately.
''Canada was well aware that Omar Khadr's allegations of being tortured had a ring of truth to it. Canada has not once raised the protection of Omar Khadr when there are such serious allegations,'' Edney said. ``What does that say to you about Canada's commitment to the rule of law and human rights. It talks on both sides of its face.''
The government inadvertently released the manual to lawyers for Amnesty International who are working on a lawsuit involving alleged abuse of Afghan detainees by local Afghan authorities, after the detainees were handed over by Canadian troops.
''The document in question is a training manual. It is not a policy document or any kind of a statement of policy. As such it does not convey the government's views or positions,'' said Neil Hrab, a spokesman for Canada's Foreign Affairs Department. ``The training manual purposely raised public issues to stimulate discussion and debate in the classroom.''
A spokesman at the Israeli embassy said Israel forbids torture.
''Israel's Supreme Court is on record as expressly prohibiting any type of torture. If Israel is included in the list in question, the ambassador of Israel would expect its removal,'' spokesman Michael Mendel said.
The training material in question offers a section on laws prohibiting torture and what to do when cases are suspected. It also discusses how to spot signs a Canadian abroad has been abused.
Human rights groups have long called on Canada to pressure the United States to return Khadr from Guantánamo. They say not enough has been done for Khadr, who faces trial for allegedly tossing a grenade that killed one U.S. soldier and injured another in Afghanistan in July 2002. Khadr was 15 at the time.
He is the son of an alleged al Qaeda financier, now dead, and his family has received little sympathy in Canada, where they've been called the ``First Family of Terrorism.''
In a documentary by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., one of Khadr's brothers, Abdurahman Khadr, acknowledged that their Egyptian-born father, Ahmed Said Khadr, and some of his brothers fought for al Qaeda and had stayed with Osama bin Laden.
The father was killed in 2003 when a Pakistani military helicopter shelled the house where he was staying with some senior al Qaeda operatives. One brother, Abdullah Khadr, is being held in Canada on a U.S. extradition warrant, accused of supplying weapons to al Qaeda.
Good - Don't MESS with us!
Canada... torturing its own citizens with government healthcare for decades.
Canada... America’s hat.
We should invade and liberate Canada.
I love waterboarding our enemies.
WTH is Canada going to do anyways? Send us a resolution like the UN?
Shouldn’t we get our own upcoming civil war out of the way first?
wonder what canada calls beheading?
we’ve got lots of canadian snowbirds here in socal.
they drive like farmers and they’re arrogant.
Just don’t have any “friends” sell you out for $5,000. Remember, we were passing out $5K for folks to point out “terrorists” until we realized that ol’ Ali was pointing out his rival, Achmed, and picking up $5K in the deal. It really kinda sucked when we were passing out cash to the terrorists and locking up the good guys.
Not to mention guys like the London chef who we held for a few years—until we admitted that he couldn’t have been guilty since he was working in London (pay records to prove it) when he was supposedly attending Terrorist Training.
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