Post by ocelot on Sept 29, 2006 21:10:20 GMT -5
U.S. didn't expect Arar to be tortured: official
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Fri. Sep. 29 2006 4:32 PM ET
U.S. officials thought it was unlikely Maher Arar would be tortured when they deported him to Syria, a State Department spokesperson revealed Friday.
"There were assurances that his treatment would meet the standards of the Geneva Conventions," Sean McCormack told reporters. "We had to have a reasonable expectation that he was not going to be tortured or maltreated. We were able to assure ourselves of that."
McCormack also said U.S. officials didn't consult with their Canadian counterparts before they deported Arar from New York in 2002.
The revelations came a day after RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli appeared before a Commons Public Safety Committee, to apologize for the Mounties' blunders that sent Arar to a Syrian torture chamber.
Arar's lawyer said her client was "grateful" for the public apology.
"There's no doubt that he was grateful for the public nature of that apology and he is looking forward to speaking to Zaccardelli this afternoon," Marlys Edwardh told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.
"There's a real benefit to them having a discussion and for Arar to receive a personal apology."
However, she said Zaccardelli's comments following the release of Justice Dennis O'Connor's withering report on RCMP errors still left many unanswered questions.
"I don't think we've heard anything about the RCMP's role. We need to have the commissioner actually act on the recommendations of the O'Connor report," Edwardh said.
"The actions of the Americans were based on Canadian information, some of it very false. Those circumstances resulted in a huge injury to an innocent man, those kinds of errors deserve discipline."
Irwin Cotler, Liberal opposition critic for public safety, echoed Edwardh's sentiments, saying there were "clearly unresolved questions here."
Appearing on AM Friday, Cotler demanded to know why the RCMP "continued to give false and misleading information" to the United States.
"Why, some six months later, did they refuse to support a letter that would have called upon Syria to release Arar and return him to Canada?
"Why, when there were deliberate leaks that damaged Arar's reputation, why did the RCMP not correct those leaks? Why have no RCMP officials been held accountable?"
Arar exonerated
O'Connor's report, released last week, exonerated Arar and said the Syrian-born Canadian had been falsely accused of having links to terrorism.
The false information provided by the Mounties prompted the U.S. to deport Arar to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for 10 months.
Vowing to ensure those mistakes never happen again, Zaccardelli said he did not think he had to step down.
"This is the only uniform I will ever wear, and this is the only job that I will ever do," he told the commission.
His personal appeal left the spotlight on the federal government, which has consistently refused to offer a similar apology while it negotiates a financial settlement with Arar.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day expressed his confidence in the RCMP boss on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the NDP agreed he should stay under probation," while the Liberals offered mixed views.
The Bloc Quebecois is the only party to officially call for Zaccardelli's head over Arar's treatment.
"You let him rot for a year in Syria's prisons," said Bloc Quebecois MP Serge Menard.
No RCMP officers to be disciplined
At a press conference later, Zaccardelli said no officers will be disciplined for the errors.
Zaccardelli justified this decision by citing O'Connor's conclusion that the errors were not committed with malice.
Arar, a 36-year-old software engineer, was with his family Thursday in their new home town of Kamloops, B.C.
He could only monitor the hearing through an open cellphone because his TV set was damaged in the recent move from Ottawa.
Arar has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the government.
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Fri. Sep. 29 2006 4:32 PM ET
U.S. officials thought it was unlikely Maher Arar would be tortured when they deported him to Syria, a State Department spokesperson revealed Friday.
"There were assurances that his treatment would meet the standards of the Geneva Conventions," Sean McCormack told reporters. "We had to have a reasonable expectation that he was not going to be tortured or maltreated. We were able to assure ourselves of that."
McCormack also said U.S. officials didn't consult with their Canadian counterparts before they deported Arar from New York in 2002.
The revelations came a day after RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli appeared before a Commons Public Safety Committee, to apologize for the Mounties' blunders that sent Arar to a Syrian torture chamber.
Arar's lawyer said her client was "grateful" for the public apology.
"There's no doubt that he was grateful for the public nature of that apology and he is looking forward to speaking to Zaccardelli this afternoon," Marlys Edwardh told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.
"There's a real benefit to them having a discussion and for Arar to receive a personal apology."
However, she said Zaccardelli's comments following the release of Justice Dennis O'Connor's withering report on RCMP errors still left many unanswered questions.
"I don't think we've heard anything about the RCMP's role. We need to have the commissioner actually act on the recommendations of the O'Connor report," Edwardh said.
"The actions of the Americans were based on Canadian information, some of it very false. Those circumstances resulted in a huge injury to an innocent man, those kinds of errors deserve discipline."
Irwin Cotler, Liberal opposition critic for public safety, echoed Edwardh's sentiments, saying there were "clearly unresolved questions here."
Appearing on AM Friday, Cotler demanded to know why the RCMP "continued to give false and misleading information" to the United States.
"Why, some six months later, did they refuse to support a letter that would have called upon Syria to release Arar and return him to Canada?
"Why, when there were deliberate leaks that damaged Arar's reputation, why did the RCMP not correct those leaks? Why have no RCMP officials been held accountable?"
Arar exonerated
O'Connor's report, released last week, exonerated Arar and said the Syrian-born Canadian had been falsely accused of having links to terrorism.
The false information provided by the Mounties prompted the U.S. to deport Arar to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for 10 months.
Vowing to ensure those mistakes never happen again, Zaccardelli said he did not think he had to step down.
"This is the only uniform I will ever wear, and this is the only job that I will ever do," he told the commission.
His personal appeal left the spotlight on the federal government, which has consistently refused to offer a similar apology while it negotiates a financial settlement with Arar.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day expressed his confidence in the RCMP boss on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the NDP agreed he should stay under probation," while the Liberals offered mixed views.
The Bloc Quebecois is the only party to officially call for Zaccardelli's head over Arar's treatment.
"You let him rot for a year in Syria's prisons," said Bloc Quebecois MP Serge Menard.
No RCMP officers to be disciplined
At a press conference later, Zaccardelli said no officers will be disciplined for the errors.
Zaccardelli justified this decision by citing O'Connor's conclusion that the errors were not committed with malice.
Arar, a 36-year-old software engineer, was with his family Thursday in their new home town of Kamloops, B.C.
He could only monitor the hearing through an open cellphone because his TV set was damaged in the recent move from Ottawa.
Arar has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the government.