Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
International

RCMP To Charge Syrian Officer In Maher Arar Torture Case, Lawyer Says

The Canadian Press, 01 Sep, 2015 11:35 AM
    OTTAWA — A lawyer for Maher Arar says the RCMP is laying torture charges against a former Syrian military intelligence officer for alleged involvement in the torture of the Ottawa telecommunications engineer.
     
    Lawyer Paul Champ says while the colonel's whereabouts are unknown, the charges represent the culmination of a decade-long RCMP investigation.
     
    Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was detained in New York in September 2002 and soon after deported by U.S. authorities — winding up in a grave-like cell in Damascus.
     
    Under torture, Arar gave false confessions to Syrian military intelligence officers about supposed involvement with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.
     
    A federal commission of inquiry led by Justice Dennis O’Connor concluded that faulty information the RCMP passed to the United States very likely led to Arar's year-long ordeal.
     
    Champ, Arar's wife Monia Mazigh, and representatives of Amnesty International Canada appeared at a news conference today to announce the development.
     
    An RCMP document charges Col. George Salloum with torture.
     
     
    It is unclear whether he can be located and since Syria is beset by warring factions, casting doubt on the prospect of a trial any time soon. 
     
    It marks the second time in recent months the RCMP have laid charges against someone in a far-flung country for a crime committed many years ago.
     
    In June, almost seven years after the overseas hostage-taking of former journalist Amanda Lindhout, the RCMP arrested and charged a Somalian man.
     
    Lindhout and photographer Nigel Brennan were seized by young gunmen near strife-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in August 2008. Both were released on Nov. 25, 2009.
     
    Ali Omar Ader, a Somalian national, faces a charge of hostage-taking for his purported role as a negotiator.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Bobby Jindal Mocks Hillary Clinton Over Email Saga

    Amid reports that Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state was under investigation, Jindal Wednesday mocked Hillary Clinton with a prison joke, saying, "Orange really is the new black."

    Bobby Jindal Mocks Hillary Clinton Over Email Saga

    Indian Couple In Dubai Loses Over $8,000 In Bank Fraud

    Indian Couple In Dubai Loses Over $8,000 In Bank Fraud
    Zubin Vakil and his wife Anshu lost Dh31,363.64 from their joint account in the Bank of Baroda in seven transactions, which the couple said they never made, Gulf News reported on Wednesday.

    Indian Couple In Dubai Loses Over $8,000 In Bank Fraud

    Attack On Elderly Indian Man: US To Partly Use Video Evidence

    The attack on Sureshbhai Patel, 57, on February 6, left the elderly man partially paralysed.

    Attack On Elderly Indian Man: US To Partly Use Video Evidence

    Indian American Harvard Student Loses Facebook Internship

    Indian American Harvard Student Loses Facebook Internship
    Facebook cancelled an Indian-origin student's internship after he exposed a serious privacy flaw in the social media giant's messenger service

    Indian American Harvard Student Loses Facebook Internship

    Man Held At Indian American Restaurant After Standoff

    Man Held At Indian American Restaurant After Standoff
    Workers and customers in the restaurant in Barre town panicked and took cover during the 45-minute standoff, the Times Argus reported.

    Man Held At Indian American Restaurant After Standoff

    Liberal Executive In B.C. Steps Down Over Federal Candidate's Nomination Kerfuffle

    Liberal Executive In B.C. Steps Down Over Federal Candidate's Nomination Kerfuffle
    VANCOUVER — A longtime Liberal party executive has resigned over what he calls an unfathomable move to block a two-time former candidate from running in British Columbia

    Liberal Executive In B.C. Steps Down Over Federal Candidate's Nomination Kerfuffle