Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, 18 October 2006
 
When Adil was arrested in May 2003, he was part way into a Masters programme at the University of Montreal. His was working on a project examining the stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims in Quebec textbooks. Then he was arrested, and spent almost two years in prison without charge. As public support for his release mounted, he was eventually freed from prison, only to be placed under severely debilitating conditions which affected both him and his family. The most burdensome is the restriction that he could never leave home without the company of his mother or father. He is also barred from using internet, using cell phones or any telephone except the one in his home. Originally he was not allowed to use a computer, but this was relaxed slightly to allow him to use a computer - with no internet access- in his home and to have others do internet or computer searches for him for strictly limited purposes (university research and job search). A strict curfew has been placed on him. He is not allowed to leave the island of Montreal. He must wear a GPS-tracking bracelet. He must allow police 24-hour access to his home without permit.

Despite all of these barriers, Adil resumed working towards his degree. Not being able to use computers outside his home, meant that he could not access the university library index. Not being able to use internet meant that he could not access articles and information on the web. The curfew and ban on using phones outside his home severely complicated life for him and his whole family. The insistence on accompaniment meant that one of his parents had to accompany him every time he had to go to class or to the library, and that he couldn't go if they were not available.

Last week, the university notified Adil that he had passed the requirements for his degree. Congratulations to Adil for his inspiring courage and altogether impressive strength which allowed him to surmount the many obstacles and the attempts to demoralise him and accomplish this. Congratulations to his parents and his entire family, who were unwavering in their support and solidarity and who made many sacrifices to see Adil through this project in the face of the entirely unjustified and racist restrictions on liberty imposed on him by the Canadian state.