Charges weighed against military police
By PAUL KORING Monday, October 1, 2007 – Page A1 Article Link
Several military police officers may face charges or disciplinary action for failing to call a full investigation into how Afghan prisoners were injured while in Canadian custody, according to sources close to the multiple investigations into allegations of detainee abuse.
But the Canadian Special Forces soldiers who captured and transported the Afghans suspected of being Taliban insurgents are expected to be cleared of using abusive or excessive force, the sources said.
Although the criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and military police conduct is continuing, The Globe and Mail has learned that no evidence points to unwarranted beatings or abuse of the three Afghans who suffered suspicious injuries, including facial cuts and bruises.
Sources familiar with the multiple (and in some cases parallel) investigations spoke on condition that they not be identified.
Nearly eight months after the probes were launched, soon after The Globe published articles about suspicious and unexplained injuries suffered by Afghan detainees while they were in the custody of Canadian soldiers, none of the inquiries are complete.
But the key criminal probe by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, created to be sufficiently independent that it can examine military police conduct and other sensitive issues, is nearing completion.
"They are looking at whether the MPs failed to launch an investigation despite knowing that detainees had been injured by other MPs," one source said.
A similar although apparently far less serious instance did result in a full-blown CFNIS investigation only two weeks after the incident involving the three Afghans captured by Canadian special forces.
In the second incident, military police ordered a CFNIS probe after it "was alleged that some Military Police had firmly grabbed the arms of one detainee while taking him to a military transport vehicle" on April 23, 2006. "The investigation was conducted by two senior members of the CFNIS" and included questioning of "all personnel involved in the transfer as well as with independent witnesses who confirmed that the detainee was handled in a highly professional manner," the Canadian Forces said last spring in describing the only investigation into an allegation of detainee abuse.
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By PAUL KORING Monday, October 1, 2007 – Page A1 Article Link
Several military police officers may face charges or disciplinary action for failing to call a full investigation into how Afghan prisoners were injured while in Canadian custody, according to sources close to the multiple investigations into allegations of detainee abuse.
But the Canadian Special Forces soldiers who captured and transported the Afghans suspected of being Taliban insurgents are expected to be cleared of using abusive or excessive force, the sources said.
Although the criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and military police conduct is continuing, The Globe and Mail has learned that no evidence points to unwarranted beatings or abuse of the three Afghans who suffered suspicious injuries, including facial cuts and bruises.
Sources familiar with the multiple (and in some cases parallel) investigations spoke on condition that they not be identified.
Nearly eight months after the probes were launched, soon after The Globe published articles about suspicious and unexplained injuries suffered by Afghan detainees while they were in the custody of Canadian soldiers, none of the inquiries are complete.
But the key criminal probe by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, created to be sufficiently independent that it can examine military police conduct and other sensitive issues, is nearing completion.
"They are looking at whether the MPs failed to launch an investigation despite knowing that detainees had been injured by other MPs," one source said.
A similar although apparently far less serious instance did result in a full-blown CFNIS investigation only two weeks after the incident involving the three Afghans captured by Canadian special forces.
In the second incident, military police ordered a CFNIS probe after it "was alleged that some Military Police had firmly grabbed the arms of one detainee while taking him to a military transport vehicle" on April 23, 2006. "The investigation was conducted by two senior members of the CFNIS" and included questioning of "all personnel involved in the transfer as well as with independent witnesses who confirmed that the detainee was handled in a highly professional manner," the Canadian Forces said last spring in describing the only investigation into an allegation of detainee abuse.
More on link
A full investigation by CFNIS, because an MP "firmly grabbed" a detainee? WTF Are they that bored? I can understand if someone assualted a detainee, but come on now this is ludicrous.
