The Military Investigation Into The Alleged Torture Videos Remains Silent After More Than A Year

The slow pace of the investigation is troubling federal New Democrats — while a prominent human rights lawyer says the Department of National Defense (DND) has a history of downplaying or even ignoring acts of torture committed by allies. In the spring of 2021, Postmedia reported that Canadian soldiers were shown videos of possible war crimes taken by their Iraqi students in 2018, soon after they arrived at a US-run training base near Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Mosul had recently been liberated from the hands of Islamic State extremists. The videos allegedly showed Iraqi security forces raping a woman to death, along with many gruesome images of Islamic State prisoners being tortured and executed. The instructors — alarmed at the prospect of training potential war criminals — briefed the Canadian troop commander. The commander told the instructors not to watch any more such videos and promised to raise the matter with the chain of command. It is unclear whether Canadians on the ground took up the matter with the American base commander. It is not known outside military circles how much military and political leaders in Ottawa knew about the matter. In June of last year, sources with knowledge of the case told CBC News that some Canadian soldiers who had trained Iraqi police in the finer points of counter-terrorism had been interviewed by military police. General Wayne Eyre told CBC News more than a year ago that he had ordered an investigation. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press) The country’s top military commander, General Wayne Eyre, told CBC News at the time that he had ordered an investigation to determine the facts. Asked last week about the progress of the investigation, a DND spokesman said the file was still open. “The investigation into the matter is ongoing and no further details can be released at this time,” DND media relations chief Dan LeBoutillier said in an email. LeBouthillier added that 3rd Battalion 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment troops affected by what they reported witnessing were offered counseling – including something called “enhanced post-deployment screening,” which takes place up to six months after deployment.

“Turning a blind eye”

The soldiers said they were shown the videos by their Iraqi students on Sept. 18, 2018. While they immediately raised their concerns, the lack of any action from their commanders prompted more complaints after the instructors arrived home at Garrison Petawawa in Ontario. On Oct. 20, 2020 — two years into the deployment — the battalion commander and regimental sergeant major convened a town hall to update troops on how their reports about the videos are being handled and to give them a forum to voice their concerns. their concerns. Human rights lawyer Paul Champ – who led the legal challenge to allegations of torture involving the transfer of suspected Taliban fighters from Canada during the war in Afghanistan – said the current Iraqi investigation is clearly not a DND priority, it is likely unfinished and probably going nowhere. “The Canadian military has a very troubling history of turning a blind eye to torture,” Champ told CBC News. “There are all kinds of examples of Canada just turning a blind eye instead of, you know, taking the appropriate steps under international law.” He said Canada has an obligation to ensure that “torture committed by anyone is properly investigated.” An Afghan suspect is questioned during a joint Canadian-Afghan military patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province in 2009. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press) During Canada’s military deployment to Kandahar, Ottawa initially agreed to hand over captured Taliban suspects to Afghan authorities — and did not reserve the right to check on their welfare afterwards to ensure they were not tortured during interrogation. Only after reports of abuse emerged in the media did the then Conservative government implement a surveillance regime. Under international law, Canada has a responsibility to ensure that people it extradites to other nations do not face the threat of torture. Similarly, when videos of torture seen by Canadian trainers in Iraq were reported to the Canadian chain of command, those commanders had a duty to report any such evidence of torture to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. It is up to that agency to determine whether a war crime had been committed. Attorney Paul Champ: “I wouldn’t be surprised if this matter is not taken seriously.” ((Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)) “I wouldn’t be surprised if this issue isn’t taken seriously,” Champ said. “The big question is how high [up the chain] he went “You’d like to believe that whoever found out about these videos reported them up the chain. Back in Ottawa, you know, at what level of general did this stop? And what did that person do or not do?” Federal New Democrats say the allegations by Canadian soldiers are deeply troubling and the Liberal government is failing to protect troops. “Our soldiers should never be put in a position to work with war criminals, and any such concerns they raise should be dealt with immediately and seriously when they arise,” said Lindsay Mathiesen, the NDP’s national defense critic. “New Democrats support a full investigation to find out exactly what happened and are calling on the Government to put in place proper whistleblowing mechanisms to ensure this never happens again.”

title: “The Military Investigation Into The Alleged Torture Videos Remains Silent After More Than A Year Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Denise Brooks”

The slow pace of the investigation is troubling federal New Democrats — while a prominent human rights lawyer says the Department of National Defense (DND) has a history of downplaying or even ignoring acts of torture committed by allies. In the spring of 2021, Postmedia reported that Canadian soldiers were shown videos of possible war crimes taken by their Iraqi students in 2018, soon after they arrived at a US-run training base near Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Mosul had recently been liberated from the hands of Islamic State extremists. The videos allegedly showed Iraqi security forces raping a woman to death, along with many gruesome images of Islamic State prisoners being tortured and executed. The instructors — alarmed at the prospect of training potential war criminals — briefed the Canadian troop commander. The commander told the instructors not to watch any more such videos and promised to raise the matter with the chain of command. It is unclear whether Canadians on the ground took up the matter with the American base commander. It is not known outside military circles how much military and political leaders in Ottawa knew about the matter. In June of last year, sources with knowledge of the case told CBC News that some Canadian soldiers who had trained Iraqi police in the finer points of counter-terrorism had been interviewed by military police. General Wayne Eyre told CBC News more than a year ago that he had ordered an investigation. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press) The country’s top military commander, General Wayne Eyre, told CBC News at the time that he had ordered an investigation to determine the facts. Asked last week about the progress of the investigation, a DND spokesman said the file was still open. “The investigation into the matter is ongoing and no further details can be released at this time,” DND media relations chief Dan LeBoutillier said in an email. LeBouthillier added that 3rd Battalion 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment troops affected by what they reported witnessing were offered counseling – including something called “enhanced post-deployment screening,” which takes place up to six months after deployment.

“Turning a blind eye”

The soldiers said they were shown the videos by their Iraqi students on Sept. 18, 2018. While they immediately raised their concerns, the lack of any action from their commanders prompted more complaints after the instructors arrived home at Garrison Petawawa in Ontario. On Oct. 20, 2020 — two years into the deployment — the battalion commander and regimental sergeant major convened a town hall to update troops on how their reports about the videos are being handled and to give them a forum to voice their concerns. their concerns. Human rights lawyer Paul Champ – who led the legal challenge to allegations of torture involving the transfer of suspected Taliban fighters from Canada during the war in Afghanistan – said the current Iraqi investigation is clearly not a DND priority, it is likely unfinished and probably going nowhere. “The Canadian military has a very troubling history of turning a blind eye to torture,” Champ told CBC News. “There are all kinds of examples of Canada just turning a blind eye instead of, you know, taking the appropriate steps under international law.” He said Canada has an obligation to ensure that “torture committed by anyone is properly investigated.” An Afghan suspect is questioned during a joint Canadian-Afghan military patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province in 2009. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press) During Canada’s military deployment to Kandahar, Ottawa initially agreed to hand over captured Taliban suspects to Afghan authorities — and did not reserve the right to check on their welfare afterwards to ensure they were not tortured during interrogation. Only after reports of abuse emerged in the media did the then Conservative government implement a surveillance regime. Under international law, Canada has a responsibility to ensure that people it extradites to other nations do not face the threat of torture. Similarly, when videos of torture seen by Canadian trainers in Iraq were reported to the Canadian chain of command, those commanders had a duty to report any such evidence of torture to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. It is up to that agency to determine whether a war crime had been committed. Attorney Paul Champ: “I wouldn’t be surprised if this matter is not taken seriously.” ((Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)) “I wouldn’t be surprised if this issue isn’t taken seriously,” Champ said. “The big question is how high [up the chain] he went “You’d like to believe that whoever found out about these videos reported them up the chain. Back in Ottawa, you know, at what level of general did this stop? And what did that person do or not do?” Federal New Democrats say the allegations by Canadian soldiers are deeply troubling and the Liberal government is failing to protect troops. “Our soldiers should never be put in a position to work with war criminals, and any such concerns they raise should be dealt with immediately and seriously when they arise,” said Lindsay Mathiesen, the NDP’s national defense critic. “New Democrats support a full investigation to find out exactly what happened and are calling on the Government to put in place proper whistleblowing mechanisms to ensure this never happens again.”

title: “The Military Investigation Into The Alleged Torture Videos Remains Silent After More Than A Year Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “James Dillard”

The slow pace of the investigation is troubling federal New Democrats — while a prominent human rights lawyer says the Department of National Defense (DND) has a history of downplaying or even ignoring acts of torture committed by allies. In the spring of 2021, Postmedia reported that Canadian soldiers were shown videos of possible war crimes taken by their Iraqi students in 2018, soon after they arrived at a US-run training base near Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Mosul had recently been liberated from the hands of Islamic State extremists. The videos allegedly showed Iraqi security forces raping a woman to death, along with many gruesome images of Islamic State prisoners being tortured and executed. The instructors — alarmed at the prospect of training potential war criminals — briefed the Canadian troop commander. The commander told the instructors not to watch any more such videos and promised to raise the matter with the chain of command. It is unclear whether Canadians on the ground took up the matter with the American base commander. It is not known outside military circles how much military and political leaders in Ottawa knew about the matter. In June of last year, sources with knowledge of the case told CBC News that some Canadian soldiers who had trained Iraqi police in the finer points of counter-terrorism had been interviewed by military police. General Wayne Eyre told CBC News more than a year ago that he had ordered an investigation. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press) The country’s top military commander, General Wayne Eyre, told CBC News at the time that he had ordered an investigation to determine the facts. Asked last week about the progress of the investigation, a DND spokesman said the file was still open. “The investigation into the matter is ongoing and no further details can be released at this time,” DND media relations chief Dan LeBoutillier said in an email. LeBouthillier added that 3rd Battalion 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment troops affected by what they reported witnessing were offered counseling – including something called “enhanced post-deployment screening,” which takes place up to six months after deployment.

“Turning a blind eye”

The soldiers said they were shown the videos by their Iraqi students on Sept. 18, 2018. While they immediately raised their concerns, the lack of any action from their commanders prompted more complaints after the instructors arrived home at Garrison Petawawa in Ontario. On Oct. 20, 2020 — two years into the deployment — the battalion commander and regimental sergeant major convened a town hall to update troops on how their reports about the videos are being handled and to give them a forum to voice their concerns. their concerns. Human rights lawyer Paul Champ – who led the legal challenge to allegations of torture involving the transfer of suspected Taliban fighters from Canada during the war in Afghanistan – said the current Iraqi investigation is clearly not a DND priority, it is likely unfinished and probably going nowhere. “The Canadian military has a very troubling history of turning a blind eye to torture,” Champ told CBC News. “There are all kinds of examples of Canada just turning a blind eye instead of, you know, taking the appropriate steps under international law.” He said Canada has an obligation to ensure that “torture committed by anyone is properly investigated.” An Afghan suspect is questioned during a joint Canadian-Afghan military patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province in 2009. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press) During Canada’s military deployment to Kandahar, Ottawa initially agreed to hand over captured Taliban suspects to Afghan authorities — and did not reserve the right to check on their welfare afterwards to ensure they were not tortured during interrogation. Only after reports of abuse emerged in the media did the then Conservative government implement a surveillance regime. Under international law, Canada has a responsibility to ensure that people it extradites to other nations do not face the threat of torture. Similarly, when videos of torture seen by Canadian trainers in Iraq were reported to the Canadian chain of command, those commanders had a duty to report any such evidence of torture to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. It is up to that agency to determine whether a war crime had been committed. Attorney Paul Champ: “I wouldn’t be surprised if this matter is not taken seriously.” ((Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)) “I wouldn’t be surprised if this issue isn’t taken seriously,” Champ said. “The big question is how high [up the chain] he went “You’d like to believe that whoever found out about these videos reported them up the chain. Back in Ottawa, you know, at what level of general did this stop? And what did that person do or not do?” Federal New Democrats say the allegations by Canadian soldiers are deeply troubling and the Liberal government is failing to protect troops. “Our soldiers should never be put in a position to work with war criminals, and any such concerns they raise should be dealt with immediately and seriously when they arise,” said Lindsay Mathiesen, the NDP’s national defense critic. “New Democrats support a full investigation to find out exactly what happened and are calling on the Government to put in place proper whistleblowing mechanisms to ensure this never happens again.”

title: “The Military Investigation Into The Alleged Torture Videos Remains Silent After More Than A Year Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Hector Alcazar”

The slow pace of the investigation is troubling federal New Democrats — while a prominent human rights lawyer says the Department of National Defense (DND) has a history of downplaying or even ignoring acts of torture committed by allies. In the spring of 2021, Postmedia reported that Canadian soldiers were shown videos of possible war crimes taken by their Iraqi students in 2018, soon after they arrived at a US-run training base near Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Mosul had recently been liberated from the hands of Islamic State extremists. The videos allegedly showed Iraqi security forces raping a woman to death, along with many gruesome images of Islamic State prisoners being tortured and executed. The instructors — alarmed at the prospect of training potential war criminals — briefed the Canadian troop commander. The commander told the instructors not to watch any more such videos and promised to raise the matter with the chain of command. It is unclear whether Canadians on the ground took up the matter with the American base commander. It is not known outside military circles how much military and political leaders in Ottawa knew about the matter. In June of last year, sources with knowledge of the case told CBC News that some Canadian soldiers who had trained Iraqi police in the finer points of counter-terrorism had been interviewed by military police. General Wayne Eyre told CBC News more than a year ago that he had ordered an investigation. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press) The country’s top military commander, General Wayne Eyre, told CBC News at the time that he had ordered an investigation to determine the facts. Asked last week about the progress of the investigation, a DND spokesman said the file was still open. “The investigation into the matter is ongoing and no further details can be released at this time,” DND media relations chief Dan LeBoutillier said in an email. LeBouthillier added that 3rd Battalion 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment troops affected by what they reported witnessing were offered counseling – including something called “enhanced post-deployment screening,” which takes place up to six months after deployment.

“Turning a blind eye”

The soldiers said they were shown the videos by their Iraqi students on Sept. 18, 2018. While they immediately raised their concerns, the lack of any action from their commanders prompted more complaints after the instructors arrived home at Garrison Petawawa in Ontario. On Oct. 20, 2020 — two years into the deployment — the battalion commander and regimental sergeant major convened a town hall to update troops on how their reports about the videos are being handled and to give them a forum to voice their concerns. their concerns. Human rights lawyer Paul Champ – who led the legal challenge to allegations of torture involving the transfer of suspected Taliban fighters from Canada during the war in Afghanistan – said the current Iraqi investigation is clearly not a DND priority, it is likely unfinished and probably going nowhere. “The Canadian military has a very troubling history of turning a blind eye to torture,” Champ told CBC News. “There are all kinds of examples of Canada just turning a blind eye instead of, you know, taking the appropriate steps under international law.” He said Canada has an obligation to ensure that “torture committed by anyone is properly investigated.” An Afghan suspect is questioned during a joint Canadian-Afghan military patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province in 2009. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press) During Canada’s military deployment to Kandahar, Ottawa initially agreed to hand over captured Taliban suspects to Afghan authorities — and did not reserve the right to check on their welfare afterwards to ensure they were not tortured during interrogation. Only after reports of abuse emerged in the media did the then Conservative government implement a surveillance regime. Under international law, Canada has a responsibility to ensure that people it extradites to other nations do not face the threat of torture. Similarly, when videos of torture seen by Canadian trainers in Iraq were reported to the Canadian chain of command, those commanders had a duty to report any such evidence of torture to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. It is up to that agency to determine whether a war crime had been committed. Attorney Paul Champ: “I wouldn’t be surprised if this matter is not taken seriously.” ((Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)) “I wouldn’t be surprised if this issue isn’t taken seriously,” Champ said. “The big question is how high [up the chain] he went “You’d like to believe that whoever found out about these videos reported them up the chain. Back in Ottawa, you know, at what level of general did this stop? And what did that person do or not do?” Federal New Democrats say the allegations by Canadian soldiers are deeply troubling and the Liberal government is failing to protect troops. “Our soldiers should never be put in a position to work with war criminals, and any such concerns they raise should be dealt with immediately and seriously when they arise,” said Lindsay Mathiesen, the NDP’s national defense critic. “New Democrats support a full investigation to find out exactly what happened and are calling on the Government to put in place proper whistleblowing mechanisms to ensure this never happens again.”