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Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured, Probe Finds
Canadian Report Faults Mounties, U.S. for Deportation
By ROB GILLIES, AP

TORONTO (Sept. 19) - The United States "very likely" sent a Canadian software engineer to Syria, where he was tortured, based on the false accusation by Canadian authorities that he was suspected of links to al-Qaida, according to a new government report.

Syrian-born Maher Arar was exonerated of all suspicion of terrorist activity by the 2 1/2-year commission of inquiry into his case, which urged the Canadian government to offer him financial compensation. Arar is perhaps the world's best-known case of extraordinary rendition -- the U.S. transfer of foreign terror suspects to third countries without court approval.

"I am able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offense or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada," Justice Dennis O'Connor said Monday in a three-volume report on the findings of the inquiry, part of which was made public.

Arar was traveling on a Canadian passport when he was detained at New York's Kennedy Airport on Sept. 26, 2002, on his way home from vacation in Tunisia.

Arar said U.S. authorities sent him to Syria for interrogation as a suspected member of al-Qaida, a link he denied.

He spent nearly a year in prison in Syria and made detailed allegations after his release in 2003 about extensive interrogation, beatings and whippings with electrical cables.

O'Connor criticized the U.S. and recommended that Ottawa file formal protests with both Washington and the Syrian government over Arar's treatment.

"The American authorities who handled Mr. Arar's case treated Mr. Arar in a most regrettable fashion," O'Connor wrote. "They removed him to Syria against his wishes and in the face of his statements that he would be tortured if sent there. Moreover, they dealt with Canadian officials involved with Mr. Arar's case in a less than forthcoming manner."

The U.S. is already under intense criticism from human rights groups over the practice of sending suspects to countries where they could be tortured.

U.S. and Syrian officials refused to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry.

The commission found the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shared information about Arar with American anti-terrorist agencies both before and after he was detained.

The RCMP asked the U.S. to put Arar on a watch list as an "Islamic extremist individual" suspected of links to the al-Qaida terrorist movement, the report said.

The request was issued after Arar met with another man who was under surveillance, a meeting Arar has said was about how to find inexpensive computer equipment.

"The RCMP had no basis for this description, which had the potential to create serious consequences for Mr. Arar in light of American attitudes and practices," the report said.

The RCMP described Arar as the "target" of a domestic anti-terrorist investigation in Canada when in fact he was a peripheral figure who had come under suspicion only because he had been seen in the company of the man who was under surveillance, the report found.

O'Connor said that much of the material shared with U.S. authorities had not been double-checked to ensure its accuracy and reliability -- a violation of the RCMP's usual rules for divulging information to foreign agencies.

O'Connor concluded that the inaccurate information passed by Canadian police to U.S. authorities "very likely" led to their decision to send Arar to Syria.

"It's quite clear that the RCMP sent inaccurate information to U.S. officials," Arar said at a news conference in Ottawa. "I would have not have even been sent to Syria had this information not been given to them."

"I have waited a long time to have my name cleared. I was tortured and lost a year of my life. I will never be the same," Arar said. "The United States must take responsibility for what it did to me and must stop destroying more innocent lives with its unlawful actions."

The commission concluded there was no evidence Canadian officials participated in or agreed to the decision to send Arar to Syria. But O'Connor recommended that in the future, information should never be provided to a foreign country where there is a credible risk that it will cause or contribute to the use of torture.

Most of the judge's 23 policy recommendations centered on the RCMP and emphasized the need to improve the force's internal policies for national security investigations and the sharing of information with other countries.

Arar's case has been regularly featured on the front pages of Canadian newspapers and public outcry led to the government calling an inquiry. Canada's federal government established the inquiry in 2004 to determine the role Canadian officials played.

O'Connor also found "troubling questions" about the role played by Canadian officials in the cases of three other Canadians of Arab descent -- Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki and Muayyed Nureddin. All claim they were tortured in Syria after traveling there on personal business, and all suspect that the RCMP, Canadian intelligence or both collaborated with their captors.

O'Connor said he could not get to the bottom of those cases because of the limited nature of his mandate. But he urged the government to appoint an independent investigator -- something short of a full-fledged public inquiry -- to look into those cases.

O'Connor sifted through thousands of pages of documents and sat through testimony from more than 40 witnesses. He delivered two versions of his report to the government: one classified, the other public. But portions of even the public edition of the long-awaited document were withheld due to security concerns.


9/19/2006 06:23:35

9/19/2006, 1:46 pm Link to this post PM rsine69
 
rsine69 Profile
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


QUOTE "But portions of even the public edition of the long-awaited document were withheld due to security concerns."

Which defeats the purpose of making it public in the first place if the public is prohibited from viewing it.

I've heard about this man and I don't know what I feel most, angry or scared. Our government tells us that we're fighting a war on terrorism but if the US and other free, democratic governments treat innocent people like this without due process, then I'd say we're losing the war on terror.

9/19/2006, 2:01 pm Link to this post PM rsine69
 
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


I'm with you, Rick. How can we win the war on terror, when our own government officials commit terrorist acts against their own citizens? Sure, they might not be blowing up buildings (I said might) and they don't open fire on people in a busy US city intersection, but snatching up tens of thousands of innocent people and hauling them off to overseas torture facilities for no good reason at all and without due process is still terrorism.

"I am able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offense or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada," Justice Dennis O'Connor said Monday in a three-volume report on the findings of the inquiry, part of which was made public.

"no evidence," and he spent a year of his life being tortured in that place. emoticon

Last revised by Lesigner Girl, 9/20/2006, 6:24 pm


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9/20/2006, 6:23 pm Link to this post PM Lesigner Girl Read Blog
 
Dorotea Profile
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Registered: 06-2005
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


That is horrible, damn it. I'm moving.

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9/22/2006, 5:43 pm Link to this post PM Dorotea AIM Yahoo Read Blog
 
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


I entertained the idea of moving to Canada until Dubya was out of office, but after reading this article I figure they'd probably get some paranoid notion about me and send me back here anyway. emoticon

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9/23/2006, 4:19 pm Link to this post PM Lesigner Girl Read Blog
 
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


Greetings from Canada...

U can't trust govt's. Does 'exoneration' imply an apology and/or compensation? If so, it hasn't happened yet, all Arar has got is a statement that' he is 'not considered a terrorist'. Apparently any compensation/apology may come later.
A few days ago an high ranking RCMP office was clamoring to make a statement on the affair, but he was apparently gagged. This item has seemed to have disappeared from the news since. If this statement sheds any light, pro or con, on the affair, the public will never know (or care?).
The whole thing was done in a nice Canadian manner. No noise, no real information, let the innuendos come and go, he/she/it/they are only a member(s) of the minority which happens to be in bad odor at the time. When it's over there'll be an authoritative statement from on high, and forget it.
Isn't there some ancient curse: "may we live in interesting times?"

rejean.
9/27/2006, 5:32 am Link to this post PM rejean
 
Lesigner Girl Profile
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


To add insult to injury. emoticon It's bad enough they tortured the guy for a year for no reason, but I'm sure it causes irreparable damage to his reputation when they try to sweep it under the rug like that. The least they could do is tape a public apology/explanation and broadcast it worldwide every morning and every evening for a week, as well as give him maybe 20 times the amount of money he made annually before his incarceration. It still wouldn't give him his year back, and he'll probably have to use some of that money for a psychiatrist to help subdue his nightmares, but at least it would be a start. emoticon

Edit: I'm sure there are plenty of publishers who would love to publish his story. He really should write a book and detail everything.

Last revised by Lesigner Girl, 9/30/2006, 5:56 am


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9/30/2006, 5:53 am Link to this post PM Lesigner Girl Read Blog
 
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Re: Innocent Man Sent to Syria and Tortured


Hi everybody;;;

Well, the Canadian govt actually apologised to Arar the other day...an open apology in parliament! Compenation to come?
The RCMP honcho had his say, also. No suprise. Like: Hey sorry 'bout that fella, but me 'n the boys jes gotta do our jobs, 'y know. (this is my paraphrase, not a quote!)

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rejean
10/2/2006, 7:31 am Link to this post PM rejean
 


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