OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada is once again handing over prisoners captured by its troops to Afghan authorities, a practice that was halted last November amid fears of abuse, military officials said on Friday.
"We exercise discretion each and every time we transfer adetainee," Lieutenant-Colonel Grant Dame told reporters atCanada's military base in the southern city of Kandahar.
The armed forces stopped transferring prisoners afterreceiving evidence that a detainee had been mistreated at thedetention centre in Kandahar.
Canadian officials said they had conducted more than 20visits to the centre, funded a series of improvements and wouldprovide training on human rights to local officials.
Amnesty International Canada, which last month failed in aninitial legal bid to have the transfers stopped permanently,said torture was still widespread in Afghan prisons.
"To think that somehow that's all been remedied almostovernight ... defies belief and is simply not something thatshould have happened," secretary-general Alex Neve told theCanadian Broadcasting Corp.
The question of detainee transfers has proven particularlytroublesome for Canada's minority Conservative government.
Last year Ottawa regularly dismissed allegations thatprisoners captured by Canadians had been abused in Afghanjails, only to concede last month that the transfers hadstopped because of fears of torture.
Last month government officials appeared to blame themilitary for not telling ministers the transfers had stoppedbefore withdrawing the remarks.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Renato Andrade)