By Jane Taber

The word “cover-up” is just on the tip of Alex Neve’s tongue. But in a morning press conference, Amnesty International’s Canadian chief wouldn’t go as far to characterize the Afghan detainee situation as a government cover-up. Rather, he said the “secrecy” and “lack of transparency” around the transfer of Afghan detainees raises concerns of the “possibility of cover-up.”

Mr. Neve and Grace Pastine of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association added their voices today to calls for a full public inquiry into the Afghan detainee torture controversy. The Liberals and the NDP demanded one last week. Clearly, the issue is not going away for the Tories.

The human-rights advocate said the only way to restore a sense of confidence for Canadians is to reveal all in a judicial probe. He also said it would certainly “bolster our voice in China,” referring to the visit next week of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to China. Opposition critics say that Mr. Harper will have no credible platform from which to talk about human rights if Canada is in the midst of its own human rights controversy.

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Tags: Afghan Detainees, Afghanistan, Alex Neve, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Canada, China, Human Rights, Liberals, NDP, Stephen Harper

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