Canada: Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, and Muayyed Nureddin deserve justice
Posted: 26 November 2008
Almed El Maati at a news conference held on Parliament Hill on 8 May 2008.
Copyright © Sean Kilpatrick
The case of Maher Arar - transferred by the US to Syria (via Jordan) in 2002 where he was interrogated and tortured - is now well known to Canadians. A Public Inquiry not only cleared his name and made extensive recommendations for reform, but also urged that related cases involving grave human rights violations receive similar scrutiny.
Three other men, Muayyed Nureddin, Abdullah Almalki and Ahmed Abou El-Maati, were all of varying degrees of interest in the course of national security investigations in Canada. They were all detained by the same branch of the Syrian military intelligence and brutally tortured. Mr El-Maati was also transferred to and detained in Egypt. None were ever charged with any crime. Upon their return to Canada all three said their interrogations were based on information that they believe could only have originated with Canadian investigators.
On October 21, 2008, the report from the Internal Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian officials in Relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, and Muayyed Nureddin overseen by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Frank Iacobucci was released. The report unequivocally found that the three men were tortured and documented the many ways that "deficient" conduct by Canadian officials contributed to the grave human rights violations the men experienced. Commissioner Iacobucci expressed serious concerns about repeated and unjustified labeling of these men as imminent threats, associates of Osama Bin Laden, Islamic extremists, and terrorists. He concluded that these labels were inaccurate, inflammatory, unreliable and lacking investigative basis.
These unfair labels set in motion a nightmare of injustice for Muayyed Nureddin, Abdullah Almalki and Ahmed Abou El-Maati. The Canadian government must finally deliver justice to these men and act to ensure that no other citizen suffers the same fate.
TAKE ACTION:
Step 1 : Send an email to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada:
Dear Prime Minister Harper:
In October 2008, Commissioner Frank Iacobucci raised extensive human rights concerns and documented numerous deficiencies in the report of the Internal Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian officials in Relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, and Muayyed Nureddin.
Both this report and the previous work of the Arar Commission demonstrate the devastating consequences of sacrificing human rights in the name of security. The inaccurate labeling of these men as threats, extremists and terrorists set in motion a nightmare of injustice. Effective steps must be taken to prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future.
Mr Harper, I urge your government to take immediate action to:
Provide redress: The three men and their families deserve apologies and compensation. The fact that the men had earlier launched lawsuits is no obstacle to this happening without further delay.
Ensure accountability: Empower appropriate bodies, independent of the departments and agencies whose activities have been criticized, to review the findings from this inquiry as well as the Arar Inquiry, leading to officials being held accountable through appropriate disciplinary, criminal or other action.
Enact reforms: Move forward with the reforms needed to address the many concerns identified by Commissioner Iacobucci as well as the earlier recommendations from the Arar Commission. This includes establishing a new model for reviewing the national security activities of the RCMP, CSIS and other agencies. There must be regular public consultation on, and reporting of, the progress of these reforms.
Be a leader in the campaign against torture: Ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and work with affected individuals, concerned organizations and other governments to develop a bold, comprehensive Canadian-led "Agenda to End Torture" which contains both domestic and international initiatives.
Add your own comment about the need for justice in the case of Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati, and Muayyed Nureddin :
Step 2: Invite your friends to join you in this appeal for justice
Further Background:
Ahmad El Maati, a Kuwaiti born Canadian, was on his way to celebrate his wedding in Syria when he was detained at the Damascus airport on November 12, 2001. He was taken to the Palestine Branch of the Syrian Military Intelligence and kept in a dark, underground cell measuring only three by six by seven feet. He was repeatedly tortured and interrogated about information that could only have originated in Canada. He was forced to sign a false confession he was not allowed to read. On January 25, 2002, he was transported by air to Egypt, where he was subjected to further torture and interrogation until his release almost two years later on January 11, 2004. Mr. El Maati was never charged with any crime.
Abdullah Almalki, a Syrian born Canadian, was on his way to visit family in Syria when he was detained at the Damascus airport on May 3, 2002. He was taken to the Palestine Branch of the Syrian Military Intelligence, where he was repeatedly tortured, interrogated about information that could only have originated in Canada, and forced to sign a false confession. He was held in a dark, underground cell measuring only three by six by seven feet for more than fifteen months until being transferred to another Syrian prison in August, 2003. Mr. Almalki was finally released on March 10, 2004, after more than twenty-two months in detention. Mr. Almalki was never charged with any crime.
Muayyed Nureddin, an Iraqi born Canadian, was detained by Syrian officials on December 11, 2003 as he crossed the Iraqi-Syrian border on his way back to Canada after visiting family in northern Iraq. He too was taken to the Palestine Branch of the Syrian Military Intelligence, where he was repeatedly tortured and interrogated. Syrian interrogators asked Mr. Nureddin the same questions he was asked by officials in Canada, and forced him to sign documents he was not permitted to read. He was kept in an underground cell before being released on January 13, 2004, after thirty-four days in detention. Mr. Nureddin was never charged with any crime.