Maher Arar (born 1970 in Syria) is a Canadian software engineer who was subjected to the United States policy of extraordinary rendition, a process where detainees are transferred from one country to another, with the expectation that they will be tortured in the country to which they are rendered. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with specifying, designing, developing and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, and other fields. ... Extraordinary rendition and irregular rendition are terms used to describe the extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another with the intent of legally torturing them outside of the jurisdiction of a state which prohibits it. ... Torture, according to international law, is any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has...

Arar, a citizen of both Syria and Canada, was detained during a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2002 on his way home to his family in Canada. He was held in solitary confinement in the U.S. for nearly two weeks, interrogated, and denied meaningful access to a lawyer. The Bush administration labelled him a member of Al Qaeda and rendered him, not to Canada, his home and country of citizenship, but to Syrian intelligence authorities, known by the U.S. government to practice torture.^[1] While in Syria, he was tortured and detained for almost a year before being released to Canada. , For the regional airport in Wisconsin, see John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport. ... Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to as the hole (or in British English the block), is a punishment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding guards, chaplains and doctors. ... The Presidency of George W. Bush, also known as the George W. Bush Administration, began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America. ...

Both the Canadian and Syrian governments have publicly cleared Arar of any links to terrorism. The United States government, however, refuses to clear Arar’s name and continues to have both him and his family on a watchlist.

His U.S. attorneys at the Center for Constitutional Rights are currently pursuing his case, Arar v. Ashcroft, which seeks compensatory damages on Arar’s behalf and also a declaration that the actions of the U.S. government were illegal and violated his constitutional, civil, and international human rights. Center for Constitutional Rights. ...

Biography

Early life

Maher Arar was born in Syria and moved to Canada with his parents at the age of 17 in 1988 to avoid mandatory military service. In 1991, Arar became a Canadian citizen.^[2]

Arar earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from McGill University and a master's degree in telecommunications from the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (a branch of the Université du Québec) in Montreal. While studying at McGill University, Arar met Monia Mazigh. Arar and Mazigh married in 1994. Ms. Mazigh has a Ph.D. in finance from McGill. They have two young children: Barâa and Houd.^[3] McGill University is a publicly funded, co-educational research university located in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (French, National Institute of Scientific Research) is the research-oriented branch of the Université du Québec. ... The Université du Québec is a system of ten provincially-run public universities in Quebec, Canada. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Monia Mazigh is best known as the wife of Maher Arar. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... Finance that studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses, and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ...

In December 1997, Arar moved with his family to Ottawa from Montreal. In 1999, he moved again to Boston to work for The MathWorks Inc., a job that required a considerable amount of travel within the United States.^[4] In 2001, Arar returned to Ottawa to start his own consulting company, Simcomms Inc. At the time of his rendition, Arar was employed in Ottawa as a telecommunications engineer. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... This article is about the year. ... The MathWorks, Inc. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Project A-O Canada and the events leading up to Arar's rendition

After he had moved back to Ottawa, Arar had a meeting with Abdullah Almalki on October 12, 2001. Almalki, an Ottawa engineer, was also born in Syria and had moved to Canada in the same year as Arar. They met at the Mango Café, a popular shawarma restaurant in a strip mall and talked about doctors and bought a print cartridge together.^[5] Abdullah Almalki (born 1971) is a Syrian-Canadian engineer who was imprisoned for two years in a Syrian jail. ...

At the time their movements were under close scrutiny by at least three police surveillance teams.^[5] The surveillance was prompted by Project A-O Canada, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)-led terrorism investigation team based in Ottawa and a subdivision of Project O Canada which was based in Toronto. Project O Canada was created by the RCMP when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) delegated responsibility for its national security investigation concerning Abdullah Almalki to the RCMP. CSIS had been monitoring Almalki at least since 1998 with respect to his relationship with Ahmed Said Khadr, an Egyptian-born Canadian. CSIS was also concerned with Mr. Almalki's electronic components export business that he operated with his wife. Mr. Almalki, however, was purely a person of interest and was not, in fact, the target of the investigation. Nonetheless, Mr. Almalki's meeting with Arar appears to have prompted a wider investigation, with Arar also becoming a "person of interest."^[5] RCMP redirects here. ... “CSIS” redirects here. ... Ahmed Said Khadr (1945-2003) (sometimes called Ahmed Saeed Abdur Rehman Khadar) was an Egyptian-Canadian man living in Afghanistan, who was a supporter of al-Qaeda and an associate of Osama bin Laden. ... Person of interest is a phrase used by law enforcement when announcing the name of someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not yet been arrested or formally accused of a crime. ...

Arar's rendition

On September 26, 2002, during a stopover in New York City en route from a family vacation in Tunisia to Montreal, Arar was detained by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, who may have been acting upon information supplied by the RCMP.^[6] Despite being a Canadian citizen and carrying a Canadian passport, he was forcibly rendered to Syria. Although Canadian (initially) and American officials characterized his rendition to Syria as a deportation, there is no record that Arar's removal was ordered by a court or senior Department of Homeland Security official. His removal is a prime example of extraordinary rendition, the process by which detainees are transferred from one country to another. Critics have called it "torture by proxy," as many of the countries people are rendered to are renowned for torturing prisoners. The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a part of the United States Department of Justice which used to handle legal and illegal immigration and naturalization. ... “DHS” redirects here. ... Extraordinary rendition and irregular rendition are terms used to describe the extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another with the intent of legally torturing them outside of the jurisdiction of a state which prohibits it. ...

U.S. interrogation

U.S. officials repeatedly questioned Arar about his connection to certain members of Al Qaeda. He repeatedly denied that he had any connections whatsoever to the named individuals. His interrogators also claimed that Arar was an associate of Abdullah Almalki, the Syrian-born Ottawa man whom they suspected of having links to Al Qaeda, and they therefore suspected Arar of being an Al Qaeda member himself. When Arar protested that he only had a casual relationship with Almalki, having once worked with Almalki's brother at an Ottawa high-tech firm, the officials produced a copy of Arar's 1997 rental lease which Almalki had co-signed. The fact that U.S. officials had a Canadian document in their possession was later widely interpreted as evidence of the participation by Canadian authorities in Arar's detention. Abdullah Almalki (born 1971) is a Syrian-Canadian engineer who was imprisoned for two years in a Syrian jail. ...

Mr. Arar's requests for a lawyer were dismissed on the basis that he was not a U.S. citizen, therefore he did not have the right to receive counsel. Despite his denials, he remained in U.S. custody for two weeks and eventually was put on a small jet which first landed in Washington, D.C. and then in Amman, Jordan. The Canadian government was notified of his rendition on October 10, 2002, and Arar was later discovered to be in the Far'Falastin detention center, near Damascus, Syria. For other meanings, see Amman (disambiguation) and Ammann. ... FarFalastin is a notorious Syrian prison located near Damascus. ... Nickname: The Seal of the Damascus Governorate Syria Syria Governorates Damascus Governorate Government  - Governor Bishr Al Sabban Area  - City 573 km²  (221. ...

Arar's imprisonment in Syria

Once in Amman, Arar was blindfolded, shackled and put in a van. “They made me bend my head down in the back seat,” Mr. Arar recalled. “Then these men started beating me. Every time I tried to talk, they beat me."

Arar was imprisoned in Syria for more than 10 months and states that during this time he was tortured and forced to sign a false confession which said that he had trained in Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.

Upon reaching Syria, Arar was transferred to a prison, where he was beaten for several hours and forced to falsely confess that he had attended an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. “I was willing to do anything to stop the torture,” he says.

The conditions in which Mr. Arar was held were nearly inhuman. Arar describes his cell as a three-foot by six-foot “grave” with no light and plenty of rats. During the more than 10 months he was imprisoned, he was beaten regularly with shredded cables. Through the walls of his cell, Mr. Arar could hear the screams of other prisoners who were also being tortured.

Arar was held in solitary confinement in a Syrian prison where he was regularly tortured for almost a year, until his eventual release and return to Canada in October 2003.^[7] While he had been imprisoned, Arar's wife Monia Mazigh had been conducting an active campaign in Canada to secure his release. Upon his release, Syria concluded that he had no terrorist links.^[8] Monia Mazigh is best known as the wife of Maher Arar. ...

Arar's return to Canada

Arar was released on October 5, 2003, 374 days after his removal to Syria. He returned to Canada, reuniting with his wife and children.

Back in Canada, Arar claimed that he had been tortured in Syria and sought to clear his name, embarking on legal challenges both in Canada and in the United States as well as a public education campaign.

United States lawsuit

In January 2004, Arar announced that he would be suing then-American Attorney-General John Ashcroft over his treatment.^[9] January 2004 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Irelands Roman Catholic and Protestant Boy Scouts organisations merge after nearly a century of division, in spite of efforts by the Roman Catholic bishops to block the merger. ... The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American politician who was the 79th United States Attorney General. ...

The Center for Constitutional Rights brought the suit Arar v. Ashcroft against former Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and then-Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, as well as numerous U.S. immigration officials. It charges the defendants violated Arar's constitutional right to due process; his right to choose a country of removal other than one in which he would be tortured, as guaranteed under the Torture Victims Protection Act; and his rights under international law. Center for Constitutional Rights. ...

The suit charges that Arar's Fifth Amendment due process rights were violated when he was confined without access to an attorney or the court system, both domestically before being rendered, and while detained by the Syrian government, whose actions were complicit with the U.S. Additionally, the Attorney General and INS officials who carried out his deportation also likely violated his right to due process by recklessly subjecting him to torture at the hands of a foreign government that they had every reason to believe would carry out abusive interrogation.

Further, Arar filed a claim under the Torture Victims Protection Act, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1992, which allows a victim of torture by an individual of a foreign government to bring suit against that actor in U.S. Court. Arar's claim under the Act against Ashcroft and the INS directors is based upon their complicity in bringing about the torture he suffered. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

In the case, Arar is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and a declaration that the actions of the U.S. government were illegal and violated his constitutional, civil, and international human rights.

A year after the case was filed, the U.S. government invoked the rarely-used “State Secrets Privilege” in a motion to dismiss the suit. The government claimed that to go forward in an open court would jeopardize the United States' intelligence, foreign policy, and national security interests.

On February 16, 2006, Brooklyn District Court Judge David Trager dismissed Arar's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration,^[10] basing his decision on national security grounds, not legal reasons. is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

CCR attorneys have appealed the case to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Canadian government response

The rendition of Maher Arar has received much attention and scrutiny in Canada, both in the media and in the government.

Initial media controversy

Arar's case reached new heights of controversy after reporter Juliet O'Neill wrote an article in the Ottawa Citizen on November 8, 2003, containing information leaked to her from an unknown security source, possibly within the RCMP. The secret documents provided by her source suggested Arar was a trained member of an Al Qaeda terrorist cell. The RCMP later raided O'Neill's house pursuant to search warrants it had obtained to investigate the leak.^[11] The raid was widely denounced in the media. A Canadian journalist, Juliet ONeill was the subject of controversy when the RCMP raided her house on January 21st 2004, in an attempt to find the source of an internal leak giving her access to privileged documents related to the Maher Arar case. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of major attacks attributed to al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (also al-Qaida or al-Qaida or al-Qaidah) (Arabic: ‎ , translation: The Base) is an international alliance of terrorist Sunni organizations. ...

Garvie Report

On September 25, 2004, the results of an internal RCMP investigation by RCMP Chief Superintendent Brian Garvie were published. Though the version released to the public was censored, the Garvie Report documented several instances of impropriety by the RCMP in the Arar case. Among its revelations were that the RCMP was responsible for giving American authorities sensitive information on Arar with no attached provisos about how this information might be used. Also, Richard Roy, the RCMP liaison officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs, may have known of the plan of removing Arar to Syria but did not contact his supervisors. Additionally, Deputy RCMP Commissioner Garry Loeppky lobbied hard, in the spring of 2003, to convince his government (then led by Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien) not to claim in a letter to Syria, that it "had no evidence Arar was involved in any terrorist activities" because Arar "remained a person of great interest." The Liberal Party of Canada (French: ), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party. ... Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, usually known as Jean Chrétien, PC, QC, BA, BCL, LLD (h. ...

In response to the Garvie Report, Arar said that the report was "just the starting point to find out the truth about what happened to me" and that it "exposes the fact that the government was misleading the public when they said Canada had nothing to do with sending me to Syria."

Canadian Commission of Inquiry

On February 5, 2004, the Canadian government established the "Canadian Commission Of Inquiry Into The Actions of Canadian Officials In Relation to Maher Arar" to investigate and report on the actions of Canadian officials. The United States refused to participate in the inquiry and, until January 2007, refused to share its own evidence with Canadian officials.

On June 14, 2005, Franco Pillarella, Canadian ambassador to Syria at the time of Arar's removal, said that at the time he had no reason to believe Arar had been badly treated, and in general had no reason to conclusively believe that Syria engaged in routine torture. These statements prompted widespread incredulity in the Canadian media, and a former Canadian UN ambassador responded to Pillarella asserting that Syria's human rights abuses were well known and well documented by many sources. Ambassador Pillarella at Arar Inquiry (2005) Franco D. Pillarella is a Canadian career diplomat and the current Canadian ambassador to Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. ...

On September 14, 2005, the O'Connor commission concluded public hearings after testimony from 85 witnesses. The U.S. ambassador at the time of the incident, Paul Cellucci, refused to testify.

On October 27, 2005, a fact-finder appointed by the Arar inquiry released a report saying that he believed Arar was tortured in Syria. He said that Arar had recovered well physically but was still suffering from psychological problems caused by his mistreatment.

On September 18, 2006, the Canadian Commission of Inquiry, led by Dennis O’Connor, Associate Chief Justice of Ontario, issued its report. The final report exonerates Arar and categorically states that there is no evidence linking Arar to terrorist activity, stating “there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offence or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.” The Commission also found no evidence that Canadian officials acquiesced in the U.S. decision to detain and remove Mr. Arar to Syria, but that it is very likely that the U.S. relied on inaccurate and unfair information about Mr. Arar that was provided by Canadian officials. The report also confirms that he was tortured while in Syria.^[12][13][14]

On August 9, 2007, an addendum to the final report containing previously undisclosed portions was released. The final report was released with certain portions blacked out for reasons of national security by the Canadian government. Under the rules for the Inquiry, the decision to release the remaining portions of the final report were to be decided within the Canadian courts. In July 2007, the Federal Court ruled that portions of the previously removed text could be released.^[15]

RCMP apology

On September 28, 2006, RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli issued a carefully worded public apology to Arar and his family during the House of Commons committee on public safety and national security: is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Giuliano Zaccardelli is the current Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as of September 2, 2000. ...

Mr. Arar, I wish to take this opportunity to express publicly to you and to your wife and to your children how truly sorry I am for whatever part the actions of the RCMP may have contributed to the terrible injustices that you experienced and the pain that you and your family endured.^[16]

Arar thanked Commissioner Zaccardelli for his apology but lamented the lack of concrete disciplinary action against those individuals whose actions led to his detention and subsequent torture.^[17] Zaccardelli later resigned as RCMP commissioner because of this case.

Canadian government apology and settlement

On January 26, 2007, after months of negotiations between the Canadian government and Arar's Canadian legal counsel, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology to Arar on behalf of the Canadian government and announced that Arar would receive $10.5 million settlement for his ordeal and an additional $1 million for legal costs.^[18]

On January 26, 2007, Harper released a copy of a letter sent to Arar, apologizing "for any role Canadian officials may have played in what happened to Mr. Arar, Monia Mazigh and their family in 2002 and 2003."^[19]

Aftermath

In Canada, Arar's ordeal has raised numerous questions that have yet to be answered. Canadian authorities have been unable to discover who leaked sensitive government documents to O'Neill. Those who were involved in the case in the RCMP have not been reprimanded by the government for their mistakes. In fact, several have received promotions.^[20]

As of December 2006, the only person held accountable in Canada has been RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, who actually resigned over contradictions in his testimony to the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security. The contradictions were with respect to what he knew at the time and what he told government ministers.^[21] Giuliano Zaccardelli is the current Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as of September 2, 2000. ...

Many commentators and Liberal MPs also dog Harper's government with statements made by its members while they were the official opposition in the House of Commons. Several Conservative party members, including Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, apparently assumed Arar's guilt, labeling him a terrorist.^[22][23]

U.S. government response

The Bush administration continues to maintain that Arar's rendition to Syria was legal and well within its right.^[24] The government has not publicly acknowledged that Arar was tortured in Syria – the United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stated that he has seen no evidence other than Arar's own account that he was tortured.

Former U.S. Attorney General Gonzales's response to the Arar inquiry

On September 19, 2006, then-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales denied any wrongdoing on the part of the U.S. in Arar's rendition to Syria.^[25] During a press conference Gonzales said:^[26]

"Well, we were not responsible for his removal to Syria, I'm not aware that he was tortured, and I haven't read the Commission report. Mr. Arar was deported under our immigration laws. He was initially detained because his name appeared on terrorist lists, and he was deported according to our laws. "Some people have characterized his removal as a rendition. That is not what happened here. It was a deportation. And even if it were a rendition, we understand as a government what our obligations are with respect to anyone who is rendered by this government to another country, and that is that we seek to satisfy ourselves that they will not be tortured. And we do that in every case. And if in fact he had been rendered to Syria, we would have sought those same kind of assurances, as we do in every case."

On September 20, 2006, Charles Miller, a DoJ spokesman, said Gonzales had merely been trying to clarify that deportations were no longer the responsibility of the Department of Justice, but were now the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.^[27] There have been many people named Charles Miller Charles Miller (inventor) - first U.S. sewing machine to stitch buttonholes (US10609) Charles William Miller father of Brazilian football Charlie Miller Scottish footballer Charles Miller musician in War Charles Miller actor Charles Miller president of Duromatic Products Charles Miller polo player at...

Watchlist issue

Despite the inquiry's exoneration of Arar, the United States has also refused to remove Arar from its watchlist. Stockwell Day was invited to look at the evidence in the United States' possession in January 2007. In his opinion, the administration is unjustified in continuing to bar Arar from entering the United States. Reportedly, the United States continues to refuse to remove Arar from their watchlist because of "his personal associations and travel history."^[28] Stockwell Burt Day Jr. ...

Following Day's efforts to remove Arar from the watchlist, U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins chided Canada for questioning who the United States can and cannot allow into their country.^[29] Notwithstanding, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vowed to continue to press the United States on this matter. On January 26, 2007, Mr. Harper rebuked Mr. Wilkins with respect to the Canadian government's efforts to remove him from the U.S. watch list, stating "Canada has every right to go to bat for one of its citizens when the government believes a Canadian is being unfairly treated."^[30] You may be looking for David Wilkins (orientalist) David Horton Wilkins (born October 12, 1946) is the current United States Ambassador to Canada. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ...

Dissent in U.S. Congress

Meanwhile, in the United States, Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has theatened to hold extensive hearings into Arar's case. Leahy has lambasted the US's removal of Arar to Syria as absurd and outrageous, noting that instead of sending Arar a "couple of hundred miles to Canada and turned over to the Canadian authorities... he was sent thousands of miles away to Syria." Senator Leahy spoke at length on the matter, calling the case "a black mark" on the United States: "We knew damn well, if he went to Canada, he wouldn't be tortured. He'd be held. He'd be investigated. We also knew damn well, if he went to Syria, he'd be tortured. And it's beneath the dignity of this country, a country that has always been a beacon of human rights, to send somebody to another country to be tortured."^[31] Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. ...

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales noted that the United States had assurances from Syria that Arar would not be tortured. This was dismissed by Leahy, remarking that the United States got "assurances from a country that we also say, now, we can't talk to them because we can't take their word for anything?" The Senator was alluding to the Bush administration's labeling of Syria as a member of the "axis of evil" and its policy of refraining from talking to Iran and Syria. Syria is also on the U.S. State Department's list of states that sponsor terrorism. In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... Alberto Gonzales (born August 4, 1955), is the 80th and current Attorney General of the United States. ... For the movie Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil, see Behind Enemy Lines II. For cosmic anisotropy, see Anisotropy#Physics. ...

Dispute over Canadian involvement in his rendition

After Arar's release, the controversy continued over his treatment by the U.S. and over the role that Canadian police and government officials may have played in his removal and interrogation. The United States claimed that the RCMP had provided them with a list of suspicious persons that included Arar.^[32] It was also discovered that Canadian consular officials knew that Arar was in custody in the United States but did not believe that he would be removed. The Canadian government maintains that the decision to remove Arar to Syria was made by American officials alone.

Canadian officials apparently told U.S. officials Arar was no longer a resident of Canada. The New York Times reported, "In July 2002, the Mounted Police learned that Mr. Arar and his family were in Tunisia, and incorrectly concluded that they had left Canada permanently." ^[33]

At a summit meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, on January 13, 2004, former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and U.S. President George W. Bush reached an agreement, sometimes referred to as the Monterrey Accord, which obliged the United States to notify Canada before deporting a Canadian citizen to a third country. However, according to a news story in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Stephen Yale-Loehr, lawyer and adjunct professor of immigration and asylum law at Cornell University told the Arar inquiry "the Canada-U.S. agreement struck... to prevent a recurrence of the Arar affair is ineffective and legally unenforceable."^[34] Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC, MP, BA, LLB, LLD (h. ...

In 2007, as part of the investigation into government foreknowledge, it was revealed that CSIS chief Jack Hooper had sent a memo on October 10, 2002 that included the reference "I think the United States would like to get Arar to Jordan where they can have their way with him", which was the first conclusive evidence that CSIS, and not just the RCMP, knew that a Canadian was going to be tortured at the request of the United States.^[35] A year later, Hooper contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to tell them that it was not in Canada's interests to demand that the United States return Maher Arar.^[36] Jack Hooper is the current deputy director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and a former member of the RCMP. He contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2003 to tell them that it was against Canadas interests to demand that the United States return Maher... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), more commonly known as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, is a department in the Government of Canada which has responsibility for foreign policy and diplomacy, as well as import/export and international trade policies. ...

Canada's formal protest to the U.S. government

During a telephone conversation on October 6, 2006, Harper notified President Bush that Canada intended to lodge a formal protest over U.S. treatment of Arar. The notification was later followed by a letter of protest sent from Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.^[37] Harper told reporters that Canada wants "the United States government [to] come clean with its version of events, to acknowledge... the deficiencies and inappropriate conduct that occurred in this case, particularly vis-à-vis its relationship with the Canadian government." In particular, Canada wants United States assurances, said Harper, that "these kinds of incidents will not be repeated in the future."^[38] The Minister of Foreign Affairs (French: Ministre des Affaires étrangères) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal governments international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. ... Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP (born September 27, 1965) serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Central Nova, Nova Scotia, Canadas Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. ... Seal of the United States Department of State. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ...

U.S. embassy statements

Robert H. Tuttle, the US ambassador to Britain told the BBC on December 22, 2005: Robert Holmes Tuttle. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

"I don't think there is any evidence that there have been any renditions carried out in the country of Syria. There is no evidence of that. And I think we have to take what the secretary Condoleezza Rice says at face value. It is something very important, it is done very carefully and she has said we do not authorise, condone torture in any way, shape or form." Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ...

This statement was amended the very next day by a U.S. embassy spokeswoman who stated that the embassy

"recognised that there had been a media report of a rendition to Syria but reiterated that the United States is not in a position to comment on specific allegations of intelligence activities that appear in the press". ^[39]

Miscellaneous facts

• Arar's wife, Monia Mazigh, ran unsuccessfully as the NDP candidate in the Ottawa South riding in the 2004 federal election.

• TIME magazine chose Arar as "Canadian Newsmaker of the Year" for 2004.

• On October 18, 2006, Arar and the Center for Constitutional Rights were honoured with the Institute for Policy Studies Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award, in recognition of the struggle to clear his name and draw attention to American abuses of human rights in dealing with terrorist suspects.^[40]

• Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, discusses Arar sympathetically in his bestselling 2005 book Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis.

• Amy Goodman, host of the radio program Democracy Now!, and her brother David Goodman write about Arar in their 2006 book, Static.

• In April of 2007, TIME magazine named Arar to the TIME 100, its annual listing of 100 influential people in the world.^[41] Arar's entry, at No. 58 in the Heroes & Pioneers category, was written by US Senator Leahy and says his case "stands as a sad example of how we have been too willing to sacrifice our core principles to overarching government power in the name of security, when doing so only undermines the principles we stand for and makes us less safe." The US would not allow him entry to attend Time's recognition event.^[42]

Monia Mazigh is best known as the wife of Maher Arar. ... An electoral district is a geographically-based constituency upon which Canadas representative democracy is based. ... The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Prime Minister Stephen Harper was Times Canadian Newsmaker of the Year in 2006. ... Center for Constitutional Rights. ... Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is an American lobby for progressive or leftist causes based in Washington, DC. The organization was founded in 1963 with a stated mandate to provide an independent center of research and education on public policy problems in Washington. ... Marcos Orlando Letelier del Solar (April 13, 1932 - September 21, 1976) was a Chilean economist, political figure, diplomat and, later, US-based activist. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Amy Goodman (b. ... Democracy Now! logo. ... David Goodman may refer to: David Goodman, Mother Jones magazine reporter and brother of journalist Amy Goodman. ... Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. ...

See also

• Bashir Makhtal
• Arwad al-Boushi

Bashir Makhtal (born 1977 in Ethiopia) is a Canadian is held in an Ethiopian jail without Canadian consular access. ... Arwad al-Boushi (born 1958/59) is a Syrian-born Canadian oil-industry worker. ...

References

“Department of State” redirects here. ... The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... CTV is a Canadian English language television network. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... In Canada, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) is one of the most powerful parts of the government. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... The Canadian Press (CP) is a Canadian news agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day to exchange their news and information. ... CTV is a Canadian English language television network. ... The Canadian Press (CP) is a Canadian news agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day to exchange their news and information. ... CTV is a Canadian English language television network. ... The Jurist is a website hosted by the University of Pittsburghs faculty of law, which produces articles introducing cases and issues of legal significance. ... The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. “Justice Department” redirects here. ... The Jurist is a website hosted by the University of Pittsburghs faculty of law, which produces articles introducing cases and issues of legal significance. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... The Globe and Mail is a large Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Canadian Press (CP) is a Canadian news agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day to exchange their news and information. ... The Hill Times is a low circulation, but influential, national Canadian newsweekly, covering government and politics. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Jurist is a website hosted by the University of Pittsburghs faculty of law, which produces articles introducing cases and issues of legal significance. ... The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Post is a major Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, Ontario, a district of Toronto. ...

External links

General

• Maher Arar's official site
• Video of interview with Maher Arar
• "Maher Arar: Timeline", CBC, updated September 28, 2006
• Arar Commission official site
• Apology Statement Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, September 26, 2007
• "The Horrors of Extraordinary Rendition", A transcript of Maher Arar's Letelier-Moffitt International Human Rights Award acceptance speech, detailing the events.
• Legal Filings in Maher Arar's lawsuit against John Ashcroft From the Center for Constitutional Rights
• Interview with Arar on the Disappeared In America website
• Falsehoods led to man's torture, report says
• Transcript and video of Maher Arar's acceptance speech for the Letelier-Moffitt International Human Rights Award.
• Declassified Report on the Events Relating to Maher Arar

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

News coverage

Wikinews has related news:

U.S. flight logs back Maher Arar's claims, The New York Times finds

Wikinews has related news:

Canadian government apologizes to deportation victim Arar

• Explanation offered for his Detention
• CBC News early report
• CBC News report
• CBC - Maher Arar reported freed
• Canada starts an investigation
• BBC - Interview with Robert Baer about the role of the CIA in the Middle East

Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ...

Commentary

• The Arar Report: The US Should Follow Canada's Lead, JURIST, September 27, 2006
• Kafka in Canada: The Hounding of Maher Arar, Candide's Notebooks, January 26, 2007