ZGram - 2/27/2004 - "Investigation into CSIS's role in torture widening" - Part III

[zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny:  Now more than ever!  

  February 29, 2004  

  Good Morning from the Zundelsite:  

  Herewith Part III of my four-part Zgram about a widening US/Canadian 
scandal involving a covert governmental operation between these two 
countries to turn over "suspects" to be tortured in third 
countries.      

  Zgram - Part I gave you an overview of what Ernst calls "... they 
(secret services in the United States and Canada) are farming out 
people to other countries to be tortured."  

  Zgram - Part 2 - featured the actual testimony of the second Arab 
torture victim, Muayyad Nureddin, to have come forward after Maher 
Arar, telling a story of having been nabbed while traveling and 
having been turned over to Syria to be tortured.  

  In today's Zgram - Part 3 - we first get a brief statement from 
Tawfik Kettanah, a friend of torture victim, Mr. Nureddin, followed 
by Amnesty International's General Secretary, Alex Neve - whose 
letters I have in my files stating that he does not think Ernst 
Zundel merits his attention and intervention!

[START]

TAWFIK KETTANAH: 

It strongly appears that there may have been some government 
departments that passed information to Turkey, Jordan and Syria about 
[Mr. Nureddin] which resulted in him being detained in Syria. 

If the Canadian government takes part in such actions, that means we 
risk falling into the category of police state. I know and believe 
Prime Minister Paul Martin does not consider, or want, Canada to be 
one.

I call on the Prime Minister to sincerely get to the bottom of this 
case and use all possible means to bring justice to this case.

Now I want to ask a question: how do you feel when you know  your 
fellow citizen is passing information about you that resulted in your 
torture and humiliation? I say definitely it's betrayal.  This is not 
only about a fellow citizen, but an organization whose job  is to 
protect the entire nation's security.

  ALEX NEVE, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:

The right to be free from torture is one of the most fundamental of 
all human rights. It applies to all people at all times without 
exception. No one should be tortured ever.

Mr. Nureddin's description of arbitrary arrest leading to torture is 
not, sadly, the first time that Canadians have heard about torture in 
Syria. His alarming testimony comes of course on the heels of the 
frightening experience of Maher Arar, whose case is now to be the 
subject of a public inquiry.

  	The testimony Mr. Nureddin has provided regarding torture by 
military intelligence officials in Damascus is detailed, credible and 
consistent with well-established patterns of torture which Amnesty 
International has documented for many years in Syria.

  	Canada's response now to what Mr. Nureddin has suffered must 
be immediate and it must be two-fold. First, Canada must intervene 
clearly and unequivocally with Syrian authorities, expressing its 
outrage with what happened to Mr. Nureddin, and making a firm demand 
that torture in Syria come to an end.

  	There are several elements needed here. First, two other 
Canadians, Abdullah Almalki and Anwar Al-Bouchi remain in Syrian 
jails. Reports of their torture emerged months ago. Canada must 
redouble its efforts on their behalf. Second, hundreds of other 
Syrian detainees, many held for political reasons, face the risk of 
torture every day. Canada must speak also on their behalf. Third, 
Canada must insist on an impartial investigation into Mr. Nureddin's 
allegations.

  	Four months since the release of Maher Arar, Syrians have not 
launched such an investigation into his allegations, and Canada's 
voice in pressing for such investigations has been notably and 
unacceptably silent.

If Syrian officials are not prepared to investigate, they must be 
pressed to allow an international expert to do so, such as the United 
Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Fourth, Canada must also become an outspoken champion for justice for 
Mauled Nureddin. That  means that those responsible for his torture 
must be brought to justice. It also means that Mr. Nureddin must be 
assisted in pursuing compensation, including here, in Canadian 
courts, if necessary.

  	But the second very critical element to this case is the need 
for Canada to examine its own role. The questions are many and are of 
profound importance. Did Canadian law enforcement or security 
agencies provide information that led to Mr. Nureddin's arrest and 
torture!  If so, what did they do to guard against that 
information-sharing leading to serious human rights violations, 
including torture? Were they involved in any way during Mr. 
Nureddin's detention? Were they aware that he was at risk of torture 
during his detention? Were they clear and forceful in their efforts 
to protect him from torture? What Mr. Nureddin's case tells us is 
that  what happened to Maher Arar is not an isolated and exceptional 
case.

  	And there are of course worrying possibilities that similar 
concerns are at the heart of other recent cases, such as that of 
Ahmad El-Maati and Helmy Elsherief. Amnesty International has 
therefore called on the Canadian government to broaden the terms of 
reference to the Arar inquiry to include Mr. Nureddin's case and to 
specifically ask Mr. Justice O'Connor to consider what steps need to 
be taken to guard against the activities of Canadian law enforcement 
and security agencies in the area of national security leading to 
violations in the area outside of Canada of the basic rights of anyone.

Specifically, Mr. Justice O'Connor should be asked to examine the 
facts of Mr. Nureddin's case. He should be asked to recommend a new, 
comprehensive process for ensuring thorough, impartial and 
transparent investigation of cases such as Mr. Arar's and Mr. 
Nureddin's. And he should be asked to recommend legal policy and 
institutional reforms that may be needed to ensure that the actions 
of Canadian officials do not directly or indirectly lead to human 
rights violations outside Canada.

No one should ever be tortured. Canada should never play a role in 
torture, be it direct or indirect, be it through turning a blind eye 
to its occurrence.

It's time now to make sure that Canada is a champion of the right to 
be free from torture everywhere and is not a witting or unwitting 
accomplice to torture in any country.

[END]