Afghan officials unaware torture illegal

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THE AFGHAN MISSION
Afghan officials unaware torture illegal
Report by Canadian-funded rights watchdog raises question of whether law-enforcement agencies being properly mentored

STEVEN CHASE

May 1, 2009

OTTAWA -- Fewer than 20 per cent of Afghan law-enforcement officials are aware it's illegal to torture someone accused of a crime in that country, a report by a Canadian government-supported human-rights watchdog says.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, whose mandate comes from the Afghan constitution, also says "torture and cruel, inhumane and belittling behaviour" is widespread among that country's law-enforcement agencies. It says Afghan police are alleged to be responsible for more than 65 per cent of the incidents in its study.

Critics say the Afghanistan commission's findings raise questions about whether Canada and NATO allies are properly mentoring army, police and law-enforcement officials in the war-torn country. Canada was by far the biggest donor to this rights commission last year, funding more than one-third of its budget ...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090501.AFGHAN01ART2130/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/