Canadian Soldiers: War Criminals?
The Canadian Military have received instructions that they are not to treat combattants captured by them by the same rules accorded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, of which Canada is a signatory.
What policy will Canadian soldiers use when capturing Afghani insurgents? If they are not to be treated as prisoners of war, Canadians need to know what treatment will be used, and that it reflects Canadian values, and not those of our neighbors to the South, whose record is lamentable at best, criminal at the worse.
As it was an elected government representative who signed the Geneva Convention agreement, it should require an order from the Canadian Parliament to rescind its use, and not be left to any individual or group to make that decision for us.
The actions of our soldiers on the battlefield is a reflection of every Canadian, and we have chosen the war and declared it. If the enemy chooses to wear a uniform, then the lines of engagement are fairly drawn and the Geneva rules apply, for there is no further judicial process necessary. That the enemy chooses civilian dress and is not clearly identifiable from the population at large is all the more reason that everyone should and must be deemed innocent until proven guilty by a fair judicial proceeding. The detainees have a right to access of counsel and the public a right to know they are being detained.
It is no excuse for either Canada or their allies to hide behind the fact that these detainees are being held outside of the country of origin's judicial system. We have already set a precedent by prosecuting our citizens who commit acts of sexual indecency against children while abroad; and these rules should extend to those who are detained by our forces and to those members of our forces who commit criminal acts.