Region | Syria
Canada faulted in Syrian torture of Arab-Canadians
Canadian officials indirectly contributed to the torture of three Arab-Canadian men in Syria by inaccurately linking them to Al Qaida and sharing intelligence information on the men with Syrian authorities, a federal inquiry concluded on Tuesday.
- AP
- Published: 08:57 October 22, 2008
Toronto: Canadian officials indirectly contributed to the torture of three Arab-Canadian men in Syria by inaccurately linking them to Al Qaida and sharing intelligence information on the men with Syrian authorities, a federal inquiry concluded on Tuesday.
Former Canadian Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci, who headed the inquiry, said the information was used by Syrian authorities to interrogate the men about alleged terrorist links.
Iacobucci, speaking at a televised news conference in Ottawa, said labelling people as an "imminent threat" is a step to be taken seriously, "especially if you're aware that the person is being detained in a place with a human rights record that is quite concerning to this country."
The 544-page report, which was released on the inquiry's website, also found that two of the men did not receive proper consular help from Canadian diplomats during their detention.
However, Iacobucci said there was no evidence that Canadian officials acted maliciously, and he said he did not find it necessary to single out any particular officials for blame.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government appointed Iacobucci in December 2006 to lead the investigation into Canada's role in the detention of Canadian citizens Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin in Syria.
The men, who all deny any terrorist links, say they were wrongly labelled as terrorists by Canada's federal police force and intelligence agency. They also contend the Canadian government tipped off the Syrians about their travel plans, either directly or through another country, and provided questions for their captors.
The three men claim they were tortured in Syria after travelling there separately on personal business between 2001 to 2003. They were all eventually released without charges and are now back in Canada.
News Editor's choice
-
Allies quit ruling coalition in Nepal
Political row could trigger months of street protests and violence
-
Qatar blaze 'started at nursery'
Fire killed 19 including 13 children, at Doha’s main shopping centre
-
Jagan jailed over illegal assets
Andhra Pradesh leader accused of corruption, cheating, conspiracy
