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Guest
According to a retired JAG officer on Keith Olbermann, our diplomatic
efforts, including anti-terrorism efforts, are being compromised by
the fact that we are considered to be a nation that tortures it's
prisoners.
"BBC News
Canada puts US on 'torture list'
The United States has been listed as a country where prisoners are at
risk of torture in a training document produced by the Canadian
foreign ministry.
It also classifies some US interrogation techniques as torture.
The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for
diplomats - also includes Israel, China, Iran and Afghanistan on its
watch list.
A government spokesman said the manual did not reflect the views of
Canada, which is an ally of the US and Israel.
"The training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the
views or policies of this government," said a spokesman for Foreign
Minister Maxime Bernier.
The manual lists US interrogation techniques such as forced nudity,
isolation, sleep deprivation and the blindfolding of prisoners under
"definition of torture".
It also refers to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba
where a Canadian man is being held. Critics say it ridicules Ottawa's
claims that Omar Khadr is not being mistreated.
There was no immediate response from either the US or Israel.
Exonerated
The document was provided to Amnesty International as part of a court
case it is bringing against the Canadian government over the treatment
of detainees in Afghanistan.
Canada has come under growing criticism following allegations that
detainees were tortured in Afghanistan after its soldiers transferred
suspects to Afghan security forces.
Amnesty is calling for stopping all transfers of prisoners to the
Afghan authorities.
The torture awareness course was introduced after Ottawa was strongly
criticised for its handling of the case of a Canadian who was deported
from the US to Syria in 2002.
Syrian-born Maher Arar - who was accused of being an al-Qaeda member -
says he was tortured during his 10 months in a Damascus jail - a claim
strongly denied by Syria.
A Canadian government inquiry exonerated Mr Arar of any links with
terrorist groups. It also showed that Canadian diplomats had not had
any formal training on how to detect whether detainees had been
abused."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7195276.stm
efforts, including anti-terrorism efforts, are being compromised by
the fact that we are considered to be a nation that tortures it's
prisoners.
"BBC News
Canada puts US on 'torture list'
The United States has been listed as a country where prisoners are at
risk of torture in a training document produced by the Canadian
foreign ministry.
It also classifies some US interrogation techniques as torture.
The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for
diplomats - also includes Israel, China, Iran and Afghanistan on its
watch list.
A government spokesman said the manual did not reflect the views of
Canada, which is an ally of the US and Israel.
"The training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the
views or policies of this government," said a spokesman for Foreign
Minister Maxime Bernier.
The manual lists US interrogation techniques such as forced nudity,
isolation, sleep deprivation and the blindfolding of prisoners under
"definition of torture".
It also refers to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba
where a Canadian man is being held. Critics say it ridicules Ottawa's
claims that Omar Khadr is not being mistreated.
There was no immediate response from either the US or Israel.
Exonerated
The document was provided to Amnesty International as part of a court
case it is bringing against the Canadian government over the treatment
of detainees in Afghanistan.
Canada has come under growing criticism following allegations that
detainees were tortured in Afghanistan after its soldiers transferred
suspects to Afghan security forces.
Amnesty is calling for stopping all transfers of prisoners to the
Afghan authorities.
The torture awareness course was introduced after Ottawa was strongly
criticised for its handling of the case of a Canadian who was deported
from the US to Syria in 2002.
Syrian-born Maher Arar - who was accused of being an al-Qaeda member -
says he was tortured during his 10 months in a Damascus jail - a claim
strongly denied by Syria.
A Canadian government inquiry exonerated Mr Arar of any links with
terrorist groups. It also showed that Canadian diplomats had not had
any formal training on how to detect whether detainees had been
abused."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7195276.stm
