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U.S. Bars Canadian Victim Of Syrian Torture From Coming To Receive Rights Award

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posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 12:57 AM
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Canadian national, Maher Arar was cleared of any terrorism charges after being held incommunicado by US officials and then flown in a private jet to Syria and induring 10 months of imprisonment and torture in a Syrian prison. Canadian courts and the government have judged that Arar was innocent and no threat totheir national security; still US authorities have refused to remove his name from their terrorist watch list,so he was unable to receive the human rights award from The Institute for Policy Studies, a human rights organization.
 



www.iht.com
Arar and his American lawyer, Michael Ratner, the president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, were to have been in Washington on Wednesday to receive human rights award from the rights advocates Institute for Policy Studies. Ratner was accepting the award for the center, a longtime campaigner against torture and other abuses.

Ratner came from his New York headquarters. Arar had to participate by telephone from Canada at a discussion of his case and of the U.S. law signed Tuesday by President George W. Bush on treatment and prosecution of detainees. At the evening program for presentation of the awards, he was delivering a videotaped message of thanks in which he was describing his ordeal, which began on Sept. 26, 2002, at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and ended with his arrival in Canada in early October 2003.

He thanked the institute for the award. "It mans that there are still Americans out there who value our struggle for justice," he said.

"We now know that my story is not a unique one. Over the past two years we have heard from many other people who were, who have been kidnapped, unlawfully detained, tortured and eventually released without being charged with any crime in any country."


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


Even though Arar is and was a Canadian citizen he was detained initially by INS and deported to Syria because "that was where he was born." He told INS officials that he would be tortured if sent to Syria but INS claimed that they (INS) were not the signers of the Geneva Convention that forbid torture. This man did not recieve proper treatment fromthe outset and now the Justice Department is refusing to clear his name.

This, to me, implicates the country in human rights violations that they have so blasted other countries for. If this could happen to Maher Arar, a Canadian of foreign birth, and if it has happened to others (which it most certainly has), how can we be sure it will not continue to happen;maybe to me, or to you?

Related News Links:
www.thestar.com
www.washingtonpost.com
www.tompaine.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
CIA is kidnapping and flying suspects to Torture?
TA-ANALYSIS: U.S. Government being sued by Syrian-Canadian
WAR: White House Must Charge or Free Jose Padilla



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 09:48 AM
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I've covered this guy's story on an ATSNN thread titled "14.000 prisoners in US custody" my post is found here.



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 12:41 PM
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Yes, I realize that others have covered this man's predicament in the past; if you notice I attached 3 other threads that did so as well. However none of those stories covered the current situation where he has been cleared of charges but the US will still not take his name off the terrorist watch list.



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 01:14 PM
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It is a rather sad state isn't it. But really, what do you expect from the current situation in the US. They are afraid of their own shadows right now.

This guy should be held up as an example of what can happen when we let fear and suspecision beat us. I hold our own country - Canada, more so to blame than the American's.

The fly-list is, was and always will be a joke. It is designed to keep the maximum amount of fear.



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 04:38 PM
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Since when does the US lose the right to determine who we let into our country? The award could have easily been presented in Canada.



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 04:42 PM
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Originally posted by JIMC5499
Since when does the US lose the right to determine who we let into our country? The award could have easily been presented in Canada.


You have a very interesting take on this. Is it also OK for FBI agants to operate in our country without the knowledge of OUR government? Maybe you should also worry about who they let OUT.



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 04:53 PM
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Originally posted by intrepid
[You have a very interesting take on this. Is it also OK for FBI agants to operate in our country without the knowledge of OUR government? Maybe you should also worry about who they let OUT.


I'm pretty sure that if our FBI is operating in your country, your Government knows about it. Now the CIA on the other hand.........



posted on Oct, 20 2006 @ 05:18 PM
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Originally posted by JIMC5499

Originally posted by intrepid
[You have a very interesting take on this. Is it also OK for FBI agants to operate in our country without the knowledge of OUR government? Maybe you should also worry about who they let OUT.


I'm pretty sure that if our FBI is operating in your country, your Government knows about it. Now the CIA on the other hand.........


You might want to check this out. But I digress, not really the topic.




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