The numbers, laid out during testimony before a Military Police Complaints Commission hearing, show that eight of 38 Afghans arrested by the Canadian army in late 2007 and early 2008 claim to have been mistreated.
Maj.-Gen. Guy Laroche, who commanded the military in Kandahar during that time, says he needed evidence of systemic torture before halting the handover of prisoners.
A lawyer for two human-rights groups fighting to stop the transfers altogether, says the documents show most prisoners complained they were tortured in the same manner and the number of allegations should have given ground commanders pause.
But Laroche says they were allegations that needed to be investigated and it was impossible to stop handovers every time there was an unproven claim.
The only time the federal government received direct evidence of torture was in November 2007 when a diplomat saw marks on one prisoner and the cables used to whip him — prompting Ottawa to suspend the handovers for four months.
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