Close X
Thursday, November 28, 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

    Indian-Origin Councillor Varinder Singh Bola Is Britain's Animal Welfare Ambassador

    Indian-Origin Councillor  Varinder Singh Bola Is Britain's Animal Welfare Ambassador
    He will help the local authority with disseminating its animal welfare policy to all the stakeholders. 

    Indian-Origin Councillor Varinder Singh Bola Is Britain's Animal Welfare Ambassador

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai Symbolises New India: IT Industry

    The Indian IT industry is upbeat over the appointment of Indian-born Sundarajan Pichai, 43, as chief executive of the world's largest search engine Google Inc in the US. 

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai Symbolises New India: IT Industry

    NDP Candidate Morgan Wheeldon In Nova Scotia Resigns After Facebook Posting On Israel Emerges

    NDP Candidate Morgan Wheeldon In Nova Scotia Resigns After Facebook Posting On Israel Emerges
    HALIFAX — An NDP candidate in Nova 

    NDP Candidate Morgan Wheeldon In Nova Scotia Resigns After Facebook Posting On Israel Emerges

    Canadian Company Charged In The U.S. With Selling Unapproved, Counterfeit Drugs

    Canadian Company Charged In The U.S. With Selling Unapproved, Counterfeit Drugs
    U.S. government prosecutors are accusing an online Canadian pharmacy of selling $78 million worth of unapproved, mislabelled and counterfeit drugs to doctors across the United States.

    Canadian Company Charged In The U.S. With Selling Unapproved, Counterfeit Drugs

    Hillary Clinton Proposes $350 Billion Plan To Make College Affordable, Reduce Student Debt

    Calling for a "new college compact," Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday unveiled a $350 billion plan aimed at making college more affordable and reducing the crushing burden of student debt.

    Hillary Clinton Proposes $350 Billion Plan To Make College Affordable, Reduce Student Debt

    Protesters Target Oilsands Mine In Utah Under Construction By Calgary Firm

    Protesters Target Oilsands Mine In Utah Under Construction By Calgary Firm
    CALGARY — Dozens of protesters have disrupted work on an oilsands mine a Calgary-based company is building in Utah.

    Protesters Target Oilsands Mine In Utah Under Construction By Calgary Firm