Reuters: U.S. says Arar should be on watch list

[Eugene]

U.S. says Arar should be on watch list

By James Vicini

1 hour, 27 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite being cleared by a Canadian investigation, a Syrian-born
Canadian citizen should remain on a U.S. security watch list, based on recently reviewed
U.S. information, two U.S. officials said in a letter released on Monday.

Maher Arar, a 36-year-old software engineer, was arrested by U.S. agents in 2002 during
a stopover in New York on his way home to Canada from a holiday. He was deported to
Syria, where he says he was jailed and tortured before his release in 2003.

After a lengthy investigation, a Canadian judge concluded in September that Arar had been
tortured in Syria and that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had given faulty information
to U.S. authorities suggesting he was an Islamic extremist.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in
the letter that the unspecified information possessed by U.S. law enforcement agencies was
independent of what Canada had provided to the United States about Arar.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070122/ts_nm/usa_canada_security_dc_2

[Kagemusha]

1. Y'know, for a long time, the RCMP said similar stuff to the media.

That there was stuff out on Arar that the public wasn't aware of and there were good reasons to send him to Syria to begin with.

Funny how that ended up costing the head of that organization his job when a federal judicial inquiry found no basis for that linkage.

[rodeodance]

2. Sen. Leahy gave Gondo a rough time about this last week------

[leftchick]

3. U.S.( Gonzales) says Arar should remain on watch list

what a shock I tell ya! Keep an innocent man on a watch list so you do not have to cough up material congress asks you for cuz it would undermine the GWOT. I get it. :puke:


http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=e38224bf-4bad-431d-bd63-5edd9b9b0336&k=0


WASHINGTON - Despite being cleared by a Canadian investigation, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen should remain on a U.S. security watch list, based on recently reviewed U.S. information, two U.S. officials said in a letter released Monday.

Maher Arar, a 36-year-old software engineer, was arrested by U.S. agents in 2002 during a stopover in New York on his way home to Canada from a holiday. He was deported to Syria, where he says he was jailed and tortured before his release in 2003.

After a lengthy investigation, a Canadian judge concluded in September that Arar had been tortured in Syria and that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had given faulty information to U.S. authorities suggesting he was an Islamic extremist.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in the letter that the unspecified information possessed by U.S. law enforcement agencies was independent of what Canada had provided to the United States about Arar.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the judiciary committee chairman, said the letter supplied no new information to clear up the confusion about why Arar remained on the watch list or why he had been sent to Syria in the first place.

“I am disappointed that the letter does not address the larger issues surrounding this case. The reason the Arar case is such a sore point and such an offense to American values is that he was sent to Syria, on the Bush administration’s orders, where he was tortured,” Leahy said.

[On the Road]

4. In All Honesty, If *I* Were in Arar's Shoes

I might be contemplating some serious hurt against anyone responsible for having me tortured. Which would be a perfect illustration of how terrorists are created.

[leftchick]

6. like any civilized human being

he is trying to sue the US and Canadian governments for his rendition. But I see where you are coming from, this is insanity. :(

[fooj]

5. Leahy won't let this one stand. He's going for the jugular.

Good luck, Gonzo.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. There's a quaint little retirement waiting for Gonzo and others Torquemada wannabes

United Nations Prison, The Hague

[Spazito]

8. They won't take him off the list because there is a case

pending against them and to take him off the list would be an admission of wrongdoing and this cabal NEVER does that.

Appalling, not surprising, but disgusting.

Edited to add:

This paragraph distinctly reminds me of the same crap that was put out about the yellowcake purchase:

"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in the letter that the unspecified information possessed by U.S. law enforcement agencies was independent of what Canada had provided to the United States about Arar."

[IndianaGreen]

12. Perhaps the "source" is named Chalabi or came from Nigeria

Like you said, these scum will never admit wrongdoing, even when they get caught doing it.

[Spazito]

13. Yep, the former Liberal government has some culpability

in this but the primary blame belongs to the US government/Ashcroft/Gonzales. It is not a question of if our government will pay compensation, the only question is how much and, imo, it should be one hell of a lot.

I only hope Arar's case is allowed to continue in the US and the truth about what happened to Arar and to many other will finally come to light but I doubt my hope will be realized.

[CHIMO]

9. Further

To this topic, some I am sure, will make the USA a nonstop on their travels.

Time to review Canada's security links with U.S.

A review of our security arrangements with countries like Syria and Egypt is well overdue. But we must not forget that the United States is also a foreign country. It was, after all, the laws of that foreign jurisdiction that allowed Arar, a Canadian citizen, to be deported to Syria and tortured.

In fact, the recent signing of the Military Commissions Act by President George Bush makes it even easier for the U.S. to deport Canadians to countries where they will be tortured.

The Military Commissions Act strips all non-U.S. citizens, including Canadians, of their constitutional right to a fair trial. It grants the U.S. president the authority to detain non-citizens indefinitely, without charge, and "to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions" as they relate to torture.

Worse, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, the act "allows detainees to be sentenced to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses (and) grants officials in the Bush administration a retroactive "get-out-of-jail-free card for war crimes."

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/172991#

[Solly Mack]

10. Naturally...

disgusting

[flordehinojos]

11. the case of the black suited henchman,gonzalez; plus now one more,chertoff.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_teresa_s_070122_always_suited_in_bla.htm

gonzalez went straight from the hearing room to find a buddy to help him lie ... he found him in the other black suited mortician, michael chertoff.

[yellowcanine]

14. "Rght here in my pocket is the proof that Arar is a terra-ist...." = A.G. Gonzolas

When did "Tailgunner Joe" climb out of the depths of Hell?

[Jack Rabbit]

15. But they know her trained with al Qaida in Afghanistan

They know because the Syrians beat it out of him.

[HuffleClaw]

16. "unspecified information" = they know they are grossly liable

"Washington will keep Maher Arar on a security watch list for the time being, saying it has independent information that warrants keeping him out of the country." - CBC


the ONLY thing that 'warrents keeping him out' of the US is his case against ashcroft and friends. what a sham.