Afghan detainees: The Globe and Mail's curious failure to mention Attaran at one's side/BruceR. Update

Further to Babbling's excellent post,

Second verse, same as the first

one would have thought that our soi-disant "National Newspaper" would have thought it a matter of some interest to readers, in its story on the "grave" and "troubling" testimony of Mr Ahmadshah Malgarai, to mention the long-standing efforts of his lawyer, Amir Attaran, to draw negative attention to the detainee matter. But there is no such mention--though those truly au courrant will recognize the relentless, grinning, fellow in the photo:

Not that one would expect the Globe actually to mention that it was the first outlet to give the persistent prof. a media platform to attack our Afghan mission on the detainee front:

1) A Globe story, February 2007:

The Canadian military has launched an investigation into allegations of detainee abuse by soldiers in Afghanistan, The Globe and Mail has learned...

At least one, and perhaps three, Afghan detainees “taken captive by the Canadian Forces appears to have been beaten while detained and interrogated by them,” alleges Amir Attaran, a University of Ottawa law professor, in a letter sent to the commission...

2) A piece by Mr Attaran published by the Globe, March 2007:

...the detainee transfer policy has failed extravagantly, imperilling not only Afghans' human rights but also Canadian soldiers' lives. What alternatives does Canada's government have?

Politically, there is no option. Maintaining a head-in-the-sand posture is foolish, since it is inevitable that a transferred detainee will exit the "revolving door" to take up fighting Canadians again. Or a detainee could be discovered tortured or killed by Afghan or American hands. The latter scandal will sting terribly because, unlike Somalia, its proximate cause will not be soldiers breaching orders but soldiers obeying Gen. Hillier's orders assiduously. Unlike in Britain and the Netherlands, where defence ministers negotiated or signed detainee agreements, Gen. Hillier seized the pen personally. Firing the general now would give useful distance, and thereby help safeguard the Canadian Forces' reputation. The alternative -- keeping him on, under a Rumsfeldian cloud -- would be unwise.

Practically, there are two options. The first is obvious: Build a prison in Afghanistan to hold our detainees and teach the Afghan police how to detain and interrogate humanely. The Canadian International Development Agency could provide funding, and the RCMP and Correctional Service Canada could furnish the staff to work alongside a mostly Afghan prison and human-rights corps. Extra money and staff could come from those NATO allies who are loath to contribute combat forces. Such a project is splendid international development, for it meets a real need of Afghanistan's nascent police and justice systems, and leaves something lasting behind.

The second option is controversial [no shoot, Amir]: Transport our detainees from Afghanistan to prisoner-of-war camps in Canada...

My post on that piece:

Afghan prisoners: Prof. Attaran's agenda/Minister O'Connor

Update: Note the first comment based on an informative post by BruceR. at Flit.