Isaf in Afghanistan torture row
Amnesty International accuses Nato's Isaf of exposing Afghan detainees to torture
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Tuesday, 13, Nov 2007 10:56
Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) has been accused of exposing detainees to torture in Afghanistan.
Amnesty International says troops from the UK, as well as Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway, are putting captives at risk of torture from Afghanistan's own intelligence service.
The campaign organisation says that it has received "consistent reports" of torture at the hands of the national directorate of security (NDS).
One former detainee, who had been held at an NDS compound in southern Afghanistan where the majority of British troops are based, said: "I was beaten on my back and especially my kidneys with a metal cable.
"A metal bar was placed under my chained arms and knees and I was hung from the hook on the ceiling and they continued to beat me. I was hung in this position for maybe one hour and lost consciousness."
Claudio Cordone, senior director for research at Amnesty International, called on Isaf to suspend the transfer of detainees to Afghan authorities and to instead hold them in custody until effective safeguards are in place.
"Isaf states are under an international obligation not to hand over detainees to Afghan authorities where they will be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment," he said.
"Such transfers should be suspended until effective safeguards are in place."
A spokesperson at the Ministry of Defence insisted the UK government took its human rights obligation "very seriously" and that there was "no evidence" that any person detained by UK forces had been tortured after being transferred to Afghan authorities.
"Procedures are in place to ensure that any detainees transferred from British forces to Afghan government authorities are not mistreated or tortured," a statement elaborated.
"Under the terms of our memorandum of understanding with the Afghan government (agreed in April 2006) we routinely and regularly visit transferred detainees.
"We also obtained explicit undertakings that the Afghan government will permit monitoring by human rights organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and we are ready to help them with the logistical aspects of visits to Helmand."