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| Great White North |
| Canadian Suspect in Syria Faces Civilian Trial |
| 2003-08-15 |
| A Canadian man who was deported to Syria last year by the United States, raising diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Washington, will face a civilian trial in the Middle Eastern country. Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said on Thursday the decision to try Maher Arar, who faces charges of terrorist links, came after Canada urged Syria to "either take steps to give him a chance to defend himself or you have to release him." Sometimes you get what you ask for. Arar was deported last October after being arrested in New York as he changed planes on his way back to Canada from Tunisia. The case prompted Ottawa to lodge a protest with Washington. Graham said Canadian diplomats had been granted access to Arar in jail and said he was being well treated. "Our consular officials assure us that he is in good physical condition. He personally totally rejects all allegations of torture," Graham told reporters. As opposed to the Canadians that were held in Saudi? Graham said no date has been given for when the trial would begin, saying it could take months. "How many, I just can’t say." Arar, who also holds a Syrian passport, is accused by Damascus of belonging to a "terrorist organization", which Canadian authorities said they believed to be the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. Every country that has a Muslim Brotherhood considers it to be a terrorist organization. Wonder why that is? The Ottawa telecommunications engineer’s deportation to Syria by U.S. agents stoked a firestorm of controversy in Canada. Arar had not visited his home country since immigrating to Canada as a 17-year-old in 1988. |
| Posted by:Steve |