they better be accountable ...

Canadians could face war crimes charges
Agreement holds soldiers responsible after prisoners transferred to third country

{'So far, more than 100 detainees from Iraq and Afghanistan have died in U.S. custody. The Pentagon acknowledges 27 of those cases are suspected or confirmed homicides. Some of the individuals died while being interrogated.'}

Canadians could face war crimes charges
Agreement holds soldiers responsible after prisoners transferred to third country
CanWest News Service, Monday, April 10, 2006

Canadian soldiers could be charged with war crimes in the International Criminal Court because of an agreement the government approved on the handling of detainees captured in Afghanistan, warns a report to be made public today.

The legal opinion on the arrangement regarding prisoners captured by Canadian troops and turned over to the Afghan government raises red flags about the lack of safeguards to protect soldiers against prosecution.

"Whoever negotiated this agreement did our soldiers a great disservice," said Michael Byers, an international law professor at the University of British Columbia, who wrote the opinion.

That report is one of two to be made public today at a news conference involving Amnesty International, the Polaris Institute, an Ottawa-based think tank, and legal experts.

The second report by University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran, a constitutional human rights law specialist, also questions the detainee agreement that Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier signed in Kabul in December.

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said last week he is satisfied with the pact and noted it met international law standards. Opposition leader Bill Graham, who was the Liberal defence minister when the agreement was signed, also approves the arrangement.

Under international law, Canada has an obligation to ensure any detainee is protected against torture, not only when they are transferred into Afghan custody but if they are sent to a third nation, such as the United States.

So far, more than 100 detainees from Iraq and Afghanistan have died in U.S. custody. The Pentagon acknowledges 27 of those cases are suspected or confirmed homicides. Some of the individuals died while being interrogated.