you shoot, you pay

Family of Afghan man shot by troops wants Canadian citizenship
March 20, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) -- The price of compensating Nasrat Ali Hassan's immediate family for his accidental shooting death at a military checkpoint should start with an offer of Canadian citizenship and education, the victim's eldest brother said Monday.

``Afghanistan is too much broken,'' Qasimali Ali Hassan, 64, said in an interview with The Canadian Press through a translator.

``The family should be taken to Canada, where it is safe. If the children are taken to Canada for the highest education, it would be appreciated.''

A formal investigation into the checkpoint shooting of Ali Hassan by a Canadian soldier has yet to assign blame, but commanders on the ground here have already begun looking into ways to compensate his relatives and to placate the local Shi'a community.

Although they have exchanged letters of condolence, military authorities have yet to meet the family to express regrets _ an important formality in local culture.

Quasimali Ali Hassan said his sister-in-law, her six children, one grandchild and the wife of the eldest son should be allowed to immigrate to Canada as reparation for the shooting.

``They don't have any other option,'' he said, noting that women -- widowed or otherwise -- have very few opportunities in the male-dominated Afghan society.

The demand will be put to Canadian authorities when they formally meet, likely in two or three days.

The face-to-face encounter, which was supposed to happen over the weekend, has been postponed because the family requested it be in their home, but military officials say it's not a secure location.

The family's bid to immigrate has the backing of Mohammed Yousef Hussaini, a local Kandahar politician running for Afghanistan's parliament.

``If Canada does not agree to this, then Canada is not our friend, Canada is our enemy,'' he said through a translator.

Canada's deputy commander of the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) said dealing with the family's immigration request is not a decision he can make.

``I personally am not involved in the decisions that would lead to a settlement,'' said Maj. Erik Liebert.

``I look at this in context. I don't see this as any different than a situation in Canada. The family would want some kind of compensation and the family would be speaking to the press and whoever would listen, requesting what they considered adequete compensation.''

Nasrat Ali Hassan was shot a week ago as the motorized rickshaw in which he was a passenger came suddenly upon a Canadian PRT convoy parked at a traffic circle in this volatile community.

Military authorities say the rickety overloaded three-wheeled scooter blew past a police checkpoint and ignored several warnings to stop. A soldier opened fire, but did not specifically aim at the vehicle, Canadian commanders said.

Ali Hassan's widow, Semem Gul, disputed the military's version of events and claimed there was no warning.

Bleeding and with sobbing relatives around him, Ali Hassan was treated by a Canadian medic, who didn't consider the injuries to be serious. Ali Hassan was left for local authorities to call an ambulance.

The family claimed it begged the Canadians, through an interpreter, to take him to hospital, but were refused. They also say the interpreter warned they'd be shot if they came close to the convoy.

Forced to call another taxi, relatives took Ali Hassan to hospital where he died three hours after being admitted.

Reaction to Ali Hassan's death on the streets of Kandahar has been somewhat muted by the fact that he was a minority Shi'a.

Sensitive to that aspect of the tragedy, Liebert, the deputy commander of the PRT, said the military is trying to convince the Canadian International Development Agency to establish some kind of project in the community.