(ಠ_ಠ)
2014-12-10 23:11:08 UTC
— CP — Dec 9 2014
Harper ignores call to rescind torture policy
OTTAWA - The official Opposition pointed to a new U.S. report that discredits
torture in renewing a call for the Conservative government to rescind its
information-sharing policy.
The long-anticipated U.S. Senate intelligence committee report concludes the
Central Intelligence Agency's use of simulated drowning, confinement in small
spaces, sleep deprivation and threats of violence against family members did
not yield valuable information in the post-9-11 fight against terrorism.
In the House of Commons, New Democrat MP Peter Julian said Tuesday the
conclusion to be drawn from the American report is simple — torture doesn't work.
However, Julian pointed out, the Canadian government has issued directives to
several police and security agencies allowing them to use and share information
derived using brutal methods.
The instructions give five federal agencies — the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service, the RCMP, the military, Canada Border Services and the
Communications Security Establishment — the go-ahead to exchange information
with a foreign partner even when doing so may give rise to a substantial risk
of torture.
A federal framework document obtained through the Access to Information Act
outlines a "consistent process of decision making" across departments and
agencies when the exchange of national-security related information puts
someone at serious risk of being abused.
Julian said the Harper government's acceptance of torture had repudiated basic
Canadian values. "Will the government rescind these directives immediately?"
he asked.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper ignored the demand.
"This is a report of the United States Senate," Harper told the Commons. "It
has nothing to do whatsoever with the government of Canada."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Canadian policy has drawn persistent criticism from human rights advocates
and opposition MPs who say it effectively condones torture, violating
international law and Canada's United Nations commitments.
The federal framework says when there is a "substantial risk" that sending
information to — or soliciting information from — a foreign agency would result
in torture, the responsible deputy minister or agency head should be consulted.
In deciding what to do, the agency head is supposed to consider factors
including the threat to Canada's national security and the nature and imminence
of the threat; the status of Canada's relationship with — and the human rights
record of — the foreign agency; and the rationale for believing that sharing
the information would lead to torture.
Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was detained in New York in September 2002
and shipped overseas by U.S. authorities — ending up in a filthy Damascus
prison. Under torture, he gave false confessions about involvement with al-Qaida.
A federal commission of inquiry, led by Justice Dennis O'Connor, concluded that
flawed information the RCMP handed to the Americans after the 9-11 attacks very
likely led to the Ottawa man's year-long nightmare.
O'Connor recommended that information never be provided to a foreign country
where there is a credible risk it will cause or contribute to the use of torture.
The U.S. Senate report did not examine the treatment of detainees like Arar who
were in the custody of foreign countries.
Arar declined interview requests from media Tuesday. But he was following the
U.S. Senate report's release.
"What's shocking is that despite massive human rights violations U.S. is
involved in, it still considers itself a country based on rule of law," Arar
wrote on Twitter.
Harper ignores call to rescind torture policy
OTTAWA - The official Opposition pointed to a new U.S. report that discredits
torture in renewing a call for the Conservative government to rescind its
information-sharing policy.
The long-anticipated U.S. Senate intelligence committee report concludes the
Central Intelligence Agency's use of simulated drowning, confinement in small
spaces, sleep deprivation and threats of violence against family members did
not yield valuable information in the post-9-11 fight against terrorism.
In the House of Commons, New Democrat MP Peter Julian said Tuesday the
conclusion to be drawn from the American report is simple — torture doesn't work.
However, Julian pointed out, the Canadian government has issued directives to
several police and security agencies allowing them to use and share information
derived using brutal methods.
The instructions give five federal agencies — the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service, the RCMP, the military, Canada Border Services and the
Communications Security Establishment — the go-ahead to exchange information
with a foreign partner even when doing so may give rise to a substantial risk
of torture.
A federal framework document obtained through the Access to Information Act
outlines a "consistent process of decision making" across departments and
agencies when the exchange of national-security related information puts
someone at serious risk of being abused.
Julian said the Harper government's acceptance of torture had repudiated basic
Canadian values. "Will the government rescind these directives immediately?"
he asked.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper ignored the demand.
"This is a report of the United States Senate," Harper told the Commons. "It
has nothing to do whatsoever with the government of Canada."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Canadian policy has drawn persistent criticism from human rights advocates
and opposition MPs who say it effectively condones torture, violating
international law and Canada's United Nations commitments.
The federal framework says when there is a "substantial risk" that sending
information to — or soliciting information from — a foreign agency would result
in torture, the responsible deputy minister or agency head should be consulted.
In deciding what to do, the agency head is supposed to consider factors
including the threat to Canada's national security and the nature and imminence
of the threat; the status of Canada's relationship with — and the human rights
record of — the foreign agency; and the rationale for believing that sharing
the information would lead to torture.
Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was detained in New York in September 2002
and shipped overseas by U.S. authorities — ending up in a filthy Damascus
prison. Under torture, he gave false confessions about involvement with al-Qaida.
A federal commission of inquiry, led by Justice Dennis O'Connor, concluded that
flawed information the RCMP handed to the Americans after the 9-11 attacks very
likely led to the Ottawa man's year-long nightmare.
O'Connor recommended that information never be provided to a foreign country
where there is a credible risk it will cause or contribute to the use of torture.
The U.S. Senate report did not examine the treatment of detainees like Arar who
were in the custody of foreign countries.
Arar declined interview requests from media Tuesday. But he was following the
U.S. Senate report's release.
"What's shocking is that despite massive human rights violations U.S. is
involved in, it still considers itself a country based on rule of law," Arar
wrote on Twitter.