Richard Colvin.

About Richard Colvin

Richard Colvin is a Canadian foreign service officer who gained public attention as a witness in the Canadian Afghan detainee issue. He appeared before the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in late 2009, where he testified that Afghan detainees turned over to Afghanistan prisons by Canadian soldiers were tortured. His testimony led to intense scrutiny of the Harper government's detainee policies in Kandahar, including through further witnesses at the House of Commons Afghanistan committee. On January 1, 2010, Prime Minister Harper prorogued Parliament, preventing further testimony on the Afghan detainee issue. This then triggered anti-prorogation protests.