Canadian RCMP Conducting Criminal Investigation of US & Syrian Officials for Maher Arar's Rendition

[kpete]

Source: Center For Constitutional Rights

Canadian RCMP Conducting Criminal Investigation of U.S. and Syrian Officials for Maher Arar's Rendition to Torture

Arar Reveals First Public Details of Investigation

CONTACT: [e-mail]

June 14, 2010, New York – Today, following the announcement by the U.S. Supreme Court that it had refused to hear the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) case on behalf of Canadian citizen and rendition victim Maher Arar against U.S. officials for their role in sending him to Syria to be tortured and detained for a year, Mr. Arar made a startling announcement. According to Mr. Arar and his attorneys, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been conducting a criminal investigation into U.S. as well as Syrian officials for their role in his rendition to torture.

To their knowledge, this is the first time the existence of the RCMP’s criminal investigation of U.S officials has been made public. Mr. Arar has met with the RCMP in conjunction with the investigation.

Said CCR Senior Attorney Maria LaHood, “The U.S. should be conducting its own criminal investigation of the officials responsible for sending an innocent man to Syria for a year to be interrogated under torture, not covering for them. Again, the Canadians are doing the right thing by criminally investigating not only Syrian officials, but officials from the U.S. as well. The Obama administration should look to the Canadian example and do what's right - apologize to Maher and hold his torturers accountable.”

Read more: http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/canadian-rcmp-conducting-criminal-investigation-u.s.-and-syrian-officials-ma

[time_has_come]

1. My virus checker tells me your link is a harmful website, accompanied by a big red X

never seen this kind of warning before. Quite insistent that i don't go there.

[EFerrari]

2. Interesting. I got no warning at all. In fact, I go to that site

at least once a month.

[time_has_come]

3. very. i've never seen it before...

it comes up like this:

This site is: Harmful


You should avoid visiting this web site
F-Secure has found evidence of harmful behaviour on this web site. To the best of our knowledge, it is not safe to visit this web site.

[Arrowhead2k1]

5. False positive. The site is fine. nt

[Downwinder]

4. Had no problem. n/t

[glitch]

6. McAfee has no problem with it. Wonder what's up with F-Secure? nt

[CHIMO]

7. Another Site

RCMP goes global with Maher Arar torture probe

WASHINGTON—An unprecedented RMCP probe into the Arar torture affair has gone global, with the possibility the Mounties will lay charges against U.S. and Syrian government officials involved in the case.

Lawyers for Maher Arar confirm their client has been co-operating closely as a team of RCMP investigators turns its gaze abroad to focus on foreign officials allegedly complicit in the Syrian-born Canadian’s year-long detention in an underground cell in Damascus, where he underwent torture.

Code-named “Project Prism,” the four-member RCMP probe was first disclosed by the Toronto Star last December. It was thought then to be focused mainly on the actions of Canadian government officials in the Arar rendition saga.

But Arar’s lawyers now say the Mounties are looking foremost to Syria and the United States for the missing pieces to the Arar puzzle, which already was the subject of an exhaustive Canadian inquiry that ended in full exoneration for Arar, including a public apology from Ottawa and $10 million in damages.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/823207--rcmp-goes-global-with-maher-arar-torture-probe

And another

RCMP investigation could reveal American, Syrian torture tactics: Arar

OTTAWA — The RCMP has conducted a four-year investigation called "Project Prism" that could lead to Canadian criminal charges of torture against American and Syrian officials, Maher Arar and his lawyer said Monday.

Arar revealed he is pinning some hope on the investigation after the top U.S. court on Monday refused his petition to sue the United States for his 2002 detention on false allegations of terrorism and forced removal to a prison in Syria where he was tortured.

"I've co-operated with them (the RCMP) and the investigators travelled internationally to do interviews," Arar said in an interview. "Their investigation targets Syrians as well as Americans."

Arar's lawyer Paul Champ said three RCMP officers have worked full time on the case, looking at potential charges of Syrian and American officials under Section 269.1 of the Criminal Code, prohibiting torture of a Canadian citizen inside or outside the country. Prosecution would only be possible if Syria and the United States extradite officials who are charged or if they are arrested by Interpol when travelling outside their home countries.


http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/high+court+rebuffs+Arar+lawsuit+against+Bush+officials/3151988/story.html

[CHIMO]

8. Funny Things

Going on in the link.

I was blocked because it was bad??

Going another route I came upon http://www.ccrjustice.org/

And the first article is the originally posted article. Opening it up had no problem.

Where is agent Mike?

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. k&r my soon to be new homeland is taking the steps...

that should have been taken by the Obama administration on Inauguration day.

[No Elephants]

10. K & R (deserves more than a discussio of the link, ffs.)

[CHIMO]

11. Supreme Court: Torture and Rendition Victim Maher Arar Cannot Sue in US Courts

AMY GOODMAN: Now, we’ve just gotten Maher Arar in the TV studio up at the CBC in Ottawa, so we’re going to hear him and see him more clearly. Maher, talk about what you have just learned from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

MAHER ARAR: Well, actually, I’ve been cooperating with this investigation for the past four years. It’s an investigation that was launched four years ago. My lawyer at the inquiry at that time, Marlys Edwardh, asked for that investigation. So it’s been going on. They’ve been collecting evidence. They’ve been interviewing people both in Canada and internationally. They’ve traveled to some countries, and they’ve collected evidence. They spoke to some interesting people. And their focus is on the Syrian torturers, as well as those American officials who were complicit in my torture.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you be more specific? Who are they looking into criminally in the United States? What US officials?

MAHER ARAR: I’ll just give you what I can say publicly. They are looking to charge those people who tortured me physically, but they’re also looking into charging—or investigating whether my removal to Syria was part of a torture program. And if it was, then they would lay charges against those officials who are—who did this act of sending me to Syria. You have to remember, this is not an easy case, and they are trying their best to get the names and to identify those individuals. I don’t know much about—as typical with any police investigation, they don’t tell me or tell anyone a lot of details. But I can tell you that the—I was told the investigation has made a lot of progress within the last year or so.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/15/supreme_court_torture_and_rendition_victim
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2010/june/video/dnB20100615a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=00:10:38