Prisoners continue hunger strike at Canada’s Guantánamo

[tuvor]

Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah and Hassan Almrei—who have been imprisoned indefinitely without charge or trial under a Canadian government “national security certificate”—are continuing a hunger strike to protest their inhumane conditions of detention.

Accused of terrorist links, the three detainees have been denied access to the evidence on which the government bases its allegations or even rudimentary information concerning the nature of their purported terrorist ties.

The federal Conservative government has adopted a hard-line against the strike, going so far as to claim that the security-certificate detainees are not really on hunger strike since they are imbibing fruit juice and other liquids.

On January 22, Mohammed Mahjoub will have been 59 days without food and Hassan Almrei and Mahmoud Jaballah 48 days. Mohammad Mahjoub, an engineer and father of two children, has been under detention by Canadian authorities since June 2000, whilst Hassan Almrei and Mahmoud Jaballah have been incarcerated since 2001.

On January 8, the three published an open letter in which they described their conditions of detention and asked the public to put pressure on the government to accept their demands.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/jan2007/hung-j22.shtml

[LynnTheDem]

1. Canada is trying to deport the 3 (there were 5 held; 2 released on bail)

The 5 are fighting deportation.

Tough call; allow suspected terrorists to go free in Canada? Deport them back to their homeland, where they are likely to be tortured (whch is absolutely against Canadian law)?

Keep them in Canadian jail? Paid for by Canadian citizens.

Tough call.

[tuvor]

2. You know I trust you, LynnTheDem... :)

...but do you have any links about this? All I know is what I've seen on Google News, and up until last week I was pretty ignorant about this.

If not, no biggie. I can search for myself, too.

Cheers!

[LynnTheDem]

4. Actually I have; CBC has been following the story;

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsecurity/securitycertificates_secretevidence.html

I hope Canada doesn't decide to follow bush regime's idea of "law"; Harper the bushbot is trying, but I don't think the vast majority of Canadians are going to let him get far.

I hope!

BTW, hunger strike is over, September 25, 2005;

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/09/25/hunger-strike-20050925.html

[tuvor]

5. Thanks so much for replying!

I have to head off right now, but I'll be reading when I return this afternoon.

Thanks again! :)

[LynnTheDem]

7. You're very welcome!

:)

[LynnTheDem]

6. Another that may be of interest re the OBL connection;

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/09/21/hunger-strike-20040920.html

[cigsandcoffee]

3. I wonder why they won't reveal the charges.

I'm dissapointed in the Canadian government.

[ohio2007]

8. fighting deportation to Morocco, Algeria, Syria and Egypt, where Jaballah says he was tortured befor

article excerpt;

....Jaballah has been in a Canadian jail because the government of Egypt says he's part of a terrorist organization called al-Jihad.
<snip>
fighting deportation to Morocco, Algeria, Syria and Egypt, where Jaballah says he was tortured before.
<snip>
On Dec. 10, 2004, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that security certificates used to detain suspected terrorists indefinitely for months without charge are constitutional. .

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsecurity/securitycertificates_secretevidence.html

oh Canada !