Post by ocelot on Mar 6, 2007 21:27:35 GMT -5
U.S. Democrats raise Arar case as they push anti-torture bill on Capitol Hill
Published: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 2:53 PM ET
Canadian Press: BETH GORHAM
WASHINGTON (CP) - U.S. Democrats singled out the "gross violation" of Maher Arar's rights as they renewed a push Tuesday to ban American officials from shipping people to third countries that engage in torture.
Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts, supported by 44 other Democrats, re-introduced a bill to halt the practice of extraordinary rendition, saying the power swing on Capitol Hill has renewed hope it will pass. "Outsourcing torture is a hideous and illegal practice that has no place in the policy tool kit of these United States," said Markey.
"Extraordinary rendition undermines our international standing because our own gross hypocrisy prevents us from advocating for improved human rights policies around the globe."
The bill would prohibit officials from transferring anyone to countries on a list of those that torture, regardless of citizenship or where they're seized.
Diplomatic assurances that someone won't face torture, like the promise Syria reportedly made to U.S. officials in Arar's case, wouldn't be allowed.
"How can the U.S. believe in a no-torture promise from a country that it repeatedly condemns for torture?" asked Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch.
"It's time for Congress to put an end to this disgraceful and illegal practice."
The American Civil Liberties Union also lauded the bill, noting rendition is still violating the "core principles" of the United States, despite at least two attempts by Congress to stop it.
Arar, a Canadian engineer, was detained on his way home at a New York airport and sent to Syria in 2002, where he was imprisoned for nearly a year.
He was exonerated by a Canadian inquiry of any terrorist ties and Ottawa gave him more than C$10 million in compensation.
Arar is still trying to sue U.S. officials, including former attorney general John Ashcroft, seeking undisclosed damages.
His American lawyers filed a challenge with a U.S. Appeals Court late last year after a lower court threw out the case on national security and foreign policy grounds.
It's a "travesty," said Markey, that Arar is still on the U.S. no-fly list and can't enter the country.
"I will continue to work to secure Mr. Arar the unambiguous apology from the United States that he deserves."
Last year, Markey introduced five resolutions to try to get information about Arar out of the Bush administration.
American officials who reviewed his case at Canada's request say he should stay on the security watch list.
Meantime, two U.S. senators have demanded an inquiry into whether people like Arar can effectively challenge their presence on terrorist watch lists.
Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate judicial committee, and ranking Republican Arlen Specter are also asking the independent investigative arms of the Homeland Security and Justice departments to look into how Arar was treated.
Rendition not only violates U.S. and international law, said Markey, but increases the chance that U.S. troops overseas who are captured will be abused.
Torture is widely known to produce unreliable intelligence, he said, so there's little practical result from sending countless people "into the clutches of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet."
The Bush administration has taken the position that the legal obligations of the United States do not apply if the individual is arrested and detained outside the United States.
The president has admitted that secret CIA prisons exist, saying they're a necessary part of the war on terror.
Last month, an Italian court indicted 25 CIA agents in the kidnapping of cleric Abu Omar, who was grabbed in Milan and sent to Egypt, where he was held for almost four years.
Published: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 2:53 PM ET
Canadian Press: BETH GORHAM
WASHINGTON (CP) - U.S. Democrats singled out the "gross violation" of Maher Arar's rights as they renewed a push Tuesday to ban American officials from shipping people to third countries that engage in torture.
Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts, supported by 44 other Democrats, re-introduced a bill to halt the practice of extraordinary rendition, saying the power swing on Capitol Hill has renewed hope it will pass. "Outsourcing torture is a hideous and illegal practice that has no place in the policy tool kit of these United States," said Markey.
"Extraordinary rendition undermines our international standing because our own gross hypocrisy prevents us from advocating for improved human rights policies around the globe."
The bill would prohibit officials from transferring anyone to countries on a list of those that torture, regardless of citizenship or where they're seized.
Diplomatic assurances that someone won't face torture, like the promise Syria reportedly made to U.S. officials in Arar's case, wouldn't be allowed.
"How can the U.S. believe in a no-torture promise from a country that it repeatedly condemns for torture?" asked Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch.
"It's time for Congress to put an end to this disgraceful and illegal practice."
The American Civil Liberties Union also lauded the bill, noting rendition is still violating the "core principles" of the United States, despite at least two attempts by Congress to stop it.
Arar, a Canadian engineer, was detained on his way home at a New York airport and sent to Syria in 2002, where he was imprisoned for nearly a year.
He was exonerated by a Canadian inquiry of any terrorist ties and Ottawa gave him more than C$10 million in compensation.
Arar is still trying to sue U.S. officials, including former attorney general John Ashcroft, seeking undisclosed damages.
His American lawyers filed a challenge with a U.S. Appeals Court late last year after a lower court threw out the case on national security and foreign policy grounds.
It's a "travesty," said Markey, that Arar is still on the U.S. no-fly list and can't enter the country.
"I will continue to work to secure Mr. Arar the unambiguous apology from the United States that he deserves."
Last year, Markey introduced five resolutions to try to get information about Arar out of the Bush administration.
American officials who reviewed his case at Canada's request say he should stay on the security watch list.
Meantime, two U.S. senators have demanded an inquiry into whether people like Arar can effectively challenge their presence on terrorist watch lists.
Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate judicial committee, and ranking Republican Arlen Specter are also asking the independent investigative arms of the Homeland Security and Justice departments to look into how Arar was treated.
Rendition not only violates U.S. and international law, said Markey, but increases the chance that U.S. troops overseas who are captured will be abused.
Torture is widely known to produce unreliable intelligence, he said, so there's little practical result from sending countless people "into the clutches of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet."
The Bush administration has taken the position that the legal obligations of the United States do not apply if the individual is arrested and detained outside the United States.
The president has admitted that secret CIA prisons exist, saying they're a necessary part of the war on terror.
Last month, an Italian court indicted 25 CIA agents in the kidnapping of cleric Abu Omar, who was grabbed in Milan and sent to Egypt, where he was held for almost four years.