Maher Arar gets loads of cash and Canadian apology

Maher Arar, guilty of terrorism or innocent victim? The cost: $31,818 for each of Arar's days spent in Syrian prison. $10 million plus another $2 million to cover legal fees. Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, tells CHQR news that the real cost to the taxpayer is more like $30 million when you factor in the cost of the inquiry and Ottawa's court costs. In addition to the agreed upon cash settlement, the Canadian Prime Minister issued a public 'letter of apology', removed Arar's name from the Canadian 'no fly' list, and wrote letters to the United States and Syria requesting they do the same. (read the apology here)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed to press "all levels" of the U.S. government to remove Maher Arar from a security watchlist. But that does not include siding with the Democratic political foes of a Republican president with whom Mr. Harper has tried to build closer ties. Thank goodness Mr. Harper hasn't completely lost his mind.

Maher Arar sought, and has now received from Canada, compensation for Canada's role in an American decision to deport him to Syria, where he was jailed and tortured. The Syrian-born Canadian citizen was detained at an airport in New York in 2002 and sent to Syria due to fears that he had ties to terrorism.

The United States still believes he had/has ties to terrorism and we are not alone. The $12-million compensation for Maher Arar won't answer all the questions of Canadians, many of whom believe the entire case was bungled from the start.

In a poll found here, 46% of Canadians believe the $12 million payout is "peace money" to keep Muslims from committing acts of terror in Canada.. Some Canadians believe that if this lawsuit had gone to court, Arar would have lost and not been granted one thin dime. And 16% of Canadians polled felt the trial would have compromised Canadian national security. (see poll and commentary at
Mark Wells)

A blog written by a frog on a log in a Canadian bog

What's the story?

The United States claimed that Arar was an associate of Abdullah Almalki, a Syrian-born Ottawa man whom they suspected of having links to the al-Qaeda terror organization, and they therefore suspected Arar of being an al-Qaeda member himself. When Arar protested that he only had a casual relationship with Almalki (having once worked with Almalki's brother at an Ottawa high-tech firm), the officials produced a copy of Arar's 1997 rental lease which Almalki had co-signed. The fact that US officials had a Canadian document in their possession was later widely interpreted as evidence of the participation by Canadian authorities in Arar's detention. [snip]

Maher Arar's case reached new heights of controversy after Juliet O'Neill wrote an article in the Ottawa Citizen on November 8, 2003, containing information leaked to her from an unknown security source, possibly within the RCMP. The secret documents provided by her source suggested Arar was a trained member of an al-Qaida terrorist cell. The RCMP later raided O'Neill's house pursuant to search warrants it had obtained to investigate the leak. (source)

I cannot find the source right now, but I believe I read somewhere that the above-mentioned 'secret documents' suggesting Arar was a trained member of an al-Qaeda terrorist cell, have gone missing. This subject deserves investigation, but since Mr. Arar has been paid off I suppose the subject will be dropped.

Did Arar have connections to terrorists or not? Was the United States right in arresting him? Is the U.S. right in keeping him on the 'no fly list' today?

Some key dates in the ordeal of Maher Arar:

— Sept. 26, 2002: Arar arrives at JFK Airport in New York City, on a flight from Zurich, headed for Montreal. He is detained by U.S. authorities, questioned, told he is inadmissible to the United States and asked where he would like to go. He says Canada.

— Oct. 4, 2002: Arar is visited by Maureen Girvan, a Canadian consular officer in New York. She later says she never thought the Americans would send him anywhere except home to Canada.

— Oct. 8, 2002: Arar is taken from his cell at 3 a.m. and told by American officials he is being deported to Syria on suspicion of terrorist activity. He is bundled aboard a private jet.

— Oct. 9, 2002: The plane lands in Jordan and Arar is quickly transferred by car to Damascus where he is to be jailed by Syrian military intelligence.

— Oct. 10, 2002: Arar gets his first look at a cell he describes as being the size of a grave. He is to spend most of the next 10 months there.

— Oct. 11, 2002: Arar is tortured for the first time, beaten on his palms, wrists, lower back and hips with an electrical cable. He confesses — falsely — to terrorist training in Afghanistan.

— Oct. 23, 2002: Arar meets Canadian consul Leo Martel for the first time. The beatings have lessened since he was first jailed, and Martel later says he couldn’t detect any signs of physical torture. There are several more consular visits in subsequent months but none is private; Syrian officials insist on being present.

— April 23, 2003: Arar meets Canadian ambassador Franco Pillarella and two visiting Canadian MPs, Marlene Catterall and Sarkis Assadourian. Again the Syrians insist on being present and he can’t speak frankly.

— Aug. 14, 2003: Routine consular visits resume after a long interruption. Arar describes his living conditions and later says he told the consul he had been tortured. The consul agrees he knew living conditions were bad, but says Arar never spoke of torture.

— Aug. 23, 2003: Arar is blindfolded, put in a car and driven to a new prison. His treatment improves and there is no further torture. He is no longer held in solitary confinement and can mix with other prisoners.

— Oct. 4, 2003: After days of anticipating further interrogation, Arar is told instead that he will be going home to Canada. He doesn’t believe it.

— Oct. 5, 2003: Arar is taken to meet a prosecutor who reads out a confession of his supposed terrorist past and tells him to sign it without giving him a chance to read it. He is then taken to meet the head of Syrian military intelligence, who has been joined by Canadian officials for the occasion. Arar is freed and put on a plane to Canada.

— Feb. 5, 2004: Government sets up a formal inquiry under Justice Dennis O’Connor to look into the whole Arar case.

— Sept. 18, 2006: Justice O’Connor’s report exonerates Arar of any wrongdoing, says inexperienced RCMP investigators wrongly gave inaccurate, unfair and overstated evidence about Arar’s alleged terrorist leanings to American authorities and recommends compensation for Arar.

— Jan. 26, 2007: Federal government settles with Arar with $10.5 million, plus legal fees. Prime Minister Stephen Harper offers a formal apology. (source, emphasis mine)

This sets a precedent for future lawsuits, settlements, and payoffs. It may also set a precedent for government apologies in places like Canada. I don't see the United States following suit on the settlements or the payoffs. Nor should they. If someone has a grievance against the government, then let the trial go forward and let the evidence see the light of day. That's the American way. Of course that's just my opinion as always.

Comments

[Jason]

I find it interesting that Canada would apologize and give $10 million to Arar, but they aren't lifting a finger to help out this guy: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=6294b1a0-f72d-4ffc-8dbc-86450eab2c56

[Jason]

"Your choice of words shows your your brilliance. No need to read the complete article."

That's ok. You probably wouldn't have been able to understand the bigger words anyway.

[Vaidya Maneesh]

"loads of cash"

Your choice of words shows your your brilliance. No need to read the complete article .

[John Ryan]

The incompetence of George Bush is continuing to amaze all.
Of the 33 US senators whose seats are at play in the next election 2/3 are Republican. 1/2 of them are likely to lose their seats.
I can't see any Republican winning the White House in 2008

[Layla]

I had read something about this before Debbie and is not just outrageous but completely unacceptable.