Canada: New agreement signed on transfer of detainees in Afghanistan

On 3 May, the Canadian and Afghan Governments signed an agreement on transfer of detainees supplementing an earlier agreement from December 2005. The new agreement came after weeks of public debate in Canada about allegations that detainees captured by the Canadian Army in Afghanistan and turned over to the Afghan authorities, have been tortured. It includes new provisions on Canadian officials’ full access to detention facilities where detainees transferred by Canadian Forces are held. Amnesty International Canada and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Union are suing the Government for violating the Canadian Charter and Canada’s international obligations.