October 21, 2010 marks two years since the secretive Iacobucci judicialinquiry found the Canadian government complicit in the torture of AbdullahAlmalki, Ahmad El Maati, and Muayyed Nureddin.
October 21, 2010 marks 16 months and three days since the StandingCommittee on Public Safety and National Security of the House of Commonscalled for an immediate apology for all thee men, along with compensation"for the suffering they endured and the difficulties they encountered."The committee released a report that also called on the federal governmentto "do everything necessary to correct misinformation that may exist inrecords administered by national security agencies in Canada or abroadwith respect to" the three men and their family members.(full report:http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4004074&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2)
October 21, 2010 marks 10 months and 12 days since the majority of theHouse of Commons voted in favour of an apology, compensation, and otherrecommendations contained in that committee report. The Harper governmenthas refused to abide by the majority demand from the House of Commons.
October 21, 2010 is an important day for Canadians to call on PrimeMinister Stephen Harper and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to positivelyrespond to the will of Parliament (through the majority vote of December 9, 2009 and the majority findings of the Public Safety committee of June,2009) as well as the findings of the Iacobucci inquiry by apologizing to,providing compensation for, and making accountable the individuals andagencies in Canada responsible for complicity in the torture of AbdullahAlmalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin.
Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture is calling on the Government ofCanada to:
a) issue an apology
b) provide compensation
c) correct the false allegations that have tarred the reputations of thesemen
d) ensure that all officials responsible are held accountable
e) take the necessary steps to eliminate false information about these menand their families from Canadian and international databases
f) issue a clear ministerial directive against torture and the use ofinformation obtained from torture.
Join us (see below for further background and steps you can take this week)
BACKGROUND
Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, and Muayyed Nureddin are Canadiancitizens who were targetted for torture by agencies of their owngovernment.
All were falsely labelled as alleged threats to Canada's "nationalsecurity," and all wound up in Syrian torture chambers (and, in one case,Egyptian torture chambers as well) where they were interrogated andtortured based on questions that came from Canada. A problematic secretfederal review of their cases (the Iacobucci Inquiry, which unfortunatelyonly heard from government witnesses and excluded the men, their lawyers,the press, and the public from participating) nonetheless found thatCanadian agencies were complicit in the men's overseas detention,interrogation, and torture.
None of those Canadian agencies or individuals responsible for thiscomplicity in torture have been held accountable. No charges have beenlaid, no trials scheduled. In fact, almost everyone involved continues towork for agencies such as the RCMP, CSIS, and the Department of ForeignAffairs. It is in such a culture of impunity that further human rightsabuses are likely to occur.
When the House of Commons Public Safety Committee issued its reportcalling for justice for these three Canadian men, it also recommended that"the Government of Canada issue a clear ministerial directive againsttorture and the use of information obtained from torture for alldepartments and agencies responsible for national security. Theministerial directive must clearly state that the exchange of informationwith countries is prohibited when there is a credible risk that it couldlead, or contribute, to the use of torture."
Despite the mountain of evidence showing Canadian complicity in torture,and despite repeated calls for action to end such complicity, the Harpergovernment has refused to act, and instead continues to portray these menin a negative light. Why would the government of a democratic state haveany difficulty following its international and domestic legal obligationsnever to be involved, directly or indirectly, in acts of torture? And why,rather than apologizing and acknowledging its guilt, does the Harpergovernment continue to act as if nothing has happened?
Involvement in torture ultimately undermines the open, accountable natureof democratic government. Whether it is the government's attempts to hidedocuments showing Canadian complicity in the torture of Afghan citizens,its use of secret hearings to prevent disclosure of the fact that its"national security" cases appear to be based on tortured confessions, orits refusal to acknowledge complicity in the torture of Canadian OmarKhadr in Guantanamo Bay (among numerous other examples), it is clear thatthose who pull the strings in Ottawa are clearly involved in reprehensiblepractices which, if exposed, would shock the conscience of the nation.
TAKE STEPS FOR JUSTICE NOW!
The Federal government will state that such recommendations cannot beagreed to because civil suits are in progress. The Public Safety Committeedisagrees with this position, declaring "The majority of the Committeedoes not agree with the government’s position that issuing apologies caninfluence the course of civil actions. The majority is of the opinion thatthe government must officially recognize the harm caused to theseCanadians." Indeed, the government could end the civil suit processimmediately by fairly addressing the damage that has been inflicted on themen and their families.
While there remain many other tangled webs of Canadian involvement intorture (the case of rendition survivor Benamar Benatta, who still seeks apublic review of his case, the ongoing secret rendition-to-torturehearings taking place in the Federal Courts under the name of "securitycertificates," Canada's involvement in the U.S.-based School of theAssassins, complicity in the torture of people in Afghanistan, among manyothers), we have an opportunity to take immediate steps to ensure a smallmeasure of justice for Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and MuayyedNureddin.
TAKING ACTION
1. Please write a polite, simple letter to Public Safety Minister VicToews, copying Stephen Harper and your MP, calling on them to immediatelyapologize for and provide compensation for Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad ElMaati and Muayyed Nureddin, as recommended by the Standing Committee onPublic Safety and National Security as well as the majority of the Houseof Commons.
Please add in as well that you feel officials involved in facilitatingtheir torture need to be held accountable, and that systemic changes arerequired to permanently end further Canadian involvement in torture.Remind them that the committee also calls on " the Government of Canadaissue a clear ministerial directive against torture and the use ofinformation obtained from torture." Please remind them as well that falseinformation about these three men and their families exists in governmentdatabases around the world and here in Canada, and every effort must bemade to erase those lies.
Personalize the letter if you can.
Vic ToewsPh:(613) 992-3128Fx:(613) 995-1049E-mail: Toews.V@parl.gc.ca
Stephen HarperTelephone: (613) 992-4211Fax: (613) 941-6900Email: HarpeS@parl.gc.ca, pm@pm.gc.ca
Contact details of MPs via http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
More information:Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture, PO Box 2020, 57 Foster Street,Perth, ON K7H 1R0, tasc@web.ca
More details on the men and their cases, plus video interviews:http://sites.google.com/site/endtorturenow/http://homesnotbombs.blogspot.com/search/label/end%20torture
Committee report:http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4004074&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2
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