I saw this article on mediaright.ca it comes as no surprise to me, Canadian Troops are compassionate and well trained. Not baby killers or pipe layers and some would call them. Doing good work in Afghanistan fellas stay safe.
OTTAWA (CP) - The head of the International Red Cross says he's satisfied that Canadian troops in Afghanistan are following all the rules when they take prisoners.
Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a recent interview he has no concerns about the Canadians.
Last spring, some Canadian soldiers worried that Afghan authorities might mistreat or even kill prisoners who were handed over to them.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said at the time that Canadians would give the prisoners the benefits of the Geneva Conventions. While they would not have the formal status of prisoners of war, they would still be entitled to humane treatment.
The Geneva Conventions set certain standards that must be met before prisoners can be formally considered prisoners of war and entitled to certain privileges.
Canada doesn't run detention centres in Afghanistan, but turns its prisoners over to the Afghan government.
Kellenberger said Canada is scrupulous about notifying the Red Cross when it takes prisoners and hands them over.
"From what I know, I also see there is a genuine concern on the Canadian side to notify us," he said.
"It's very important that they tell us where they are going, because we want to visit them in the detention facilities to follow up, because that's part of our job."
The Red Cross monitors thousands of prisoners in Afghanistan.
Kellenberger also said the Canadians are pressuring the Afghan government to treat the prisoners properly.
"It's also very important that the Canadians make clear to the Afghan authorities that they expect these detained people to be treated correctly," he said.
Kellenberger, a Swiss diplomat who became president of the international humanitarian body in 2000, said he's satisfied with Canada's behaviour.
"I do not have reasons to be worried that Canada will not do its utmost," he said. "I am sure they will notify (us), and secondly I am convinced they will do the utmost to make sure that people handed over to the Afghan system will be treated correctly."
Some people have questioned the Geneva Conventions in recent years, saying they are outdated and not up to dealing with the kind of irregular, terror-driven conflicts of today.
But Kellenberger is wary of those who say the rules need to be changed.
"If people tell me that the Geneva Conventions are no longer adequate or old-fashioned on certain things, the burden is on them to tell me where that is the case and what they are proposing as an improvement.
"If the argument of saying they are no longer adequate, or the purpose of saying so is simply to lower the protection for people, then I can't go along with it."
The Red Cross has been in Afghanistan since 1987, and stayed through both the Russian occupation and the Taliban era. Today it has 1,000 people working in the troubled country.
Kellenberger said Afghanistan presents a major challenge for the world.
He said there has been progress in recent years, including the millions of children who have returned to school. But much remains to be done, he said, and the key is making ordinary people feel the difference.
"If one wants to improve the prospects for a more peaceful environment, I think it will be quite important that the people, especially the people in rural areas, feel that economically they are better off than a few years ago," he said. "That's clearly our analysis.
"It would be extremely important that people outside of Kabul, and especially in the rural areas, that they can feel better the difference it makes in their daily life between how life is now and how it was some years ago."
OTTAWA (CP) - The head of the International Red Cross says he's satisfied that Canadian troops in Afghanistan are following all the rules when they take prisoners.
Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a recent interview he has no concerns about the Canadians.
Last spring, some Canadian soldiers worried that Afghan authorities might mistreat or even kill prisoners who were handed over to them.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said at the time that Canadians would give the prisoners the benefits of the Geneva Conventions. While they would not have the formal status of prisoners of war, they would still be entitled to humane treatment.
The Geneva Conventions set certain standards that must be met before prisoners can be formally considered prisoners of war and entitled to certain privileges.
Canada doesn't run detention centres in Afghanistan, but turns its prisoners over to the Afghan government.
Kellenberger said Canada is scrupulous about notifying the Red Cross when it takes prisoners and hands them over.
"From what I know, I also see there is a genuine concern on the Canadian side to notify us," he said.
"It's very important that they tell us where they are going, because we want to visit them in the detention facilities to follow up, because that's part of our job."
The Red Cross monitors thousands of prisoners in Afghanistan.
Kellenberger also said the Canadians are pressuring the Afghan government to treat the prisoners properly.
"It's also very important that the Canadians make clear to the Afghan authorities that they expect these detained people to be treated correctly," he said.
Kellenberger, a Swiss diplomat who became president of the international humanitarian body in 2000, said he's satisfied with Canada's behaviour.
"I do not have reasons to be worried that Canada will not do its utmost," he said. "I am sure they will notify (us), and secondly I am convinced they will do the utmost to make sure that people handed over to the Afghan system will be treated correctly."
Some people have questioned the Geneva Conventions in recent years, saying they are outdated and not up to dealing with the kind of irregular, terror-driven conflicts of today.
But Kellenberger is wary of those who say the rules need to be changed.
"If people tell me that the Geneva Conventions are no longer adequate or old-fashioned on certain things, the burden is on them to tell me where that is the case and what they are proposing as an improvement.
"If the argument of saying they are no longer adequate, or the purpose of saying so is simply to lower the protection for people, then I can't go along with it."
The Red Cross has been in Afghanistan since 1987, and stayed through both the Russian occupation and the Taliban era. Today it has 1,000 people working in the troubled country.
Kellenberger said Afghanistan presents a major challenge for the world.
He said there has been progress in recent years, including the millions of children who have returned to school. But much remains to be done, he said, and the key is making ordinary people feel the difference.
"If one wants to improve the prospects for a more peaceful environment, I think it will be quite important that the people, especially the people in rural areas, feel that economically they are better off than a few years ago," he said. "That's clearly our analysis.
"It would be extremely important that people outside of Kabul, and especially in the rural areas, that they can feel better the difference it makes in their daily life between how life is now and how it was some years ago."
