Arar awaiting answers in inquiry report

[Spazito]

snip

Arar, a Syrian-born Ottawa resident, was detained at New York's JFK airport in September 2002 on suspicion of links to al-Qaida. After a week in detention and a secret court hearing, the dual national was bundled onto a corporate jet en route to a Damascus jail cell. Arar who has always denied all alleged terror ties and has never been charged with a crime said he was repeatedly beaten and tortured while in Syrian custody.

For Arar, and for Canadians who have watched his case become the highest-profile example of the U.S. practice of ''extraordinary rendition,'' there are still many unanswered questions:

- Did intelligence RCMP officers improperly shared with their American counterparts contribute to Arar's deportation to Syria?

- Was there anything that could have been done to prevent it?

- Did the Mounties, along with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, hamper efforts to bring the Ottawa man home?

- Did Foreign Affairs take seriously enough Arar's allegations of torture and get him out as quickly as possible?

- Do Canadian security agencies need more scrutiny of their activities?

These are the main points O'Connor is expected to address, and Arar's lawyer said he's ''very optimistic'' there will be a full accounting of Canadian actions.

more (lots more)

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=695d7f26-3fd8-4082-af59-bfbbea30bbbf&k=30296

A very good and worthwhile read, imo.