Coalition for Justice for Adil Charkaoui, 18 January 2005

18 January 2005, Montreal – Adil Charkaoui may be glimpsing the light at the end of the tunnel as his lawyer seeks to have his security certificate quashed in court today. Last week’s revelations that CSIS had destroyed evidence in the case opened the door for the security certificate to be thrown into question. Charkaoui’s lawyer is arguing that he should be released.

“I am dreaming of being at home,” said Mr. Charkaoui, imprisoned since May 2003, though he has been neither convicted nor even charged with any crime. “I took a polygraph test to show my innocence. Now we have learned that evidence has been destroyed. I am impatient for freedom. Twenty months is a very long time, especially when you are innocent.”

Mr. Charkaoui’s fourth bail hearing was suspended last Tuesday after an admission by CSIS that it had destroyed records of interviews with Charkaoui. The destroyed evidence highlights the flaws in the unfair process to which Mr. Charkaoui has been subjected.

Key evidence presented in the bail hearing were the results of a polygraph test. Under the polygraph, questions on whether Charkaoui had ever participated in a terrorist training camp, had ever been or were now a member of a terrorist network, and whether he had ever planned to commit a crime with members of Al Qaeda were posed. In each case, the polygraph indicated that his negative answer was truthful.

More than 20 people are offering bail for Mr. Charkaoui, including NDP Member of Parliament Alexa McDonough, Bloc Immigration Critic Meili Faille, former Liberal Solicitor General Warren Allmand, former Canadian Conservative Foreign Minister Flora MacDonald, Maher Arar’s wife Monia Mazigh, PQ MNA Louise Harel, PQ MNA Daniel Turp, UFP activist Amir Khadir, theologian Gregory Baum, Quebec actress Pascale Montpetit, labour union President Deborah Bourque and other members of the community and the Charkaoui family. Together, they are offering more than $50,000 in bail.

Adil Charkaoui is one of five Muslim men who are being held without charge, denied access to the information used against them and denied a fair trial under a “security certificate”, a discriminatory measure which applies only to non-citizens.

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For more information: 514 290 5589 (french) or 514 222 0205 (english)