Canada puts U.S. on Torture Watch List

It is a very sad state of affairs when the other leading industrialized democracy in North America adds the USA to the Torture Watch List. Yet that is precisely what has happened (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080116/khadr_torture_080116/20080116) The Chimperator surely has done such than wonderful things for the image of this country among other advanced and civilized nations - Not. I for one am embarrassed at times to admit that I am an American, based on the abuses that this regime has authorized. Would that the Chimperator, Cheney, Condi, etc., could be be tried for war crimes and convicted. Here are some story highlights:

Khadr -- a Canadian citizen who was just 15-years-old when he was captured in Afghanistan more than five years ago and taken to Guantanamo -- has claimed that he has been tortured at the prison. Now, CTV News has obtained documents that put Guantanamo Bay on a torture watch list. Khadr's U.S. military lawyer says the new documents contradict Harper's assurances that his client is receiving fair treatment. "Omar has certainly been abused, his rights have been violated under international law, and apparently the Canadian government has reason to believe that's true, . . .

Canada's new focus on torture was ordered by the inquiry into Maher Arar's nightmare in Syria. U.S. authorities sent Arar -- a Canadian of Syrian ancestory -- to Syria after he made a brief stopover in New York in 2002. They wrongly accused him of having links to terrorism in large part because of information provided by the RCMP. Arar was sent to a Syrian prison where he was tortured for nearly a year.

An inquiry into the Arar affair ordered a new focus on torture, and CTV News has learned that, as part of a "torture awareness workshop," diplomats are now being told where to watch for abuse.

The aim of the workshop: to teach diplomats who visit Canadians in foreign jails how to tell if they've been tortured. It also listed countries and places with greater risks of torture. The list includes Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and China. But surprisingly, it also included the United States, Guantanamo Bay, and Israel.

It notes specific "U.S. interrogation techniquies," which include "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation." The U.S. has repeatedly denied allegations by international groups that it tortures prisoners captured in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. However, U.S. officials have refused to comment on the Canadian list.

But international observers say they are heartened by the specificity of the Canadian list. Alex Neve of Amnesty International says he is surprised that Canada would risk offending allies by naming countries that potentially torture prisoners. "These are countries where, sadly, the record is clear -- torture and ill treatment happens," said Neve.