Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, 23 April 2007

Press Conference
Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 1:30pm
Charles Lynch Room, Centre Block, Parliament, Ottawa

With the support of civil society organizations and members of Parliament, Adil Charkaoui will call on Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Immigration Minister Diane Finley to review his file in light of Friday's revelation that a key piece of information used against him was fabricated. The 33-year old Quebecker, whose charter challenge to the security certificate process was upheld by the Supreme Court in February, hopes that he and his family will soon see an end to their four year ordeal.

Charkaoui is in Ottawa to testify before the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Eminent Jurists' Panel on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights. Charkaoui remains under severe conditions of release and required special court permission to travel to Ottawa.

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For more information: 514 222 0205

Background

Ahmed Ressam admitted in a letter sent to the Journal de Montréal that information he provided against Charkaoui was false. Charkaoui and his lawyers have sought to cross-examine Ressam since his name was first published in connection with Charkaoui's security certificate file in August 2003. Government lawyers opposed the cross-examination, finally admitting that no affidavit from Ressam existed. Ressam was held in the United States under an arrangement whereby his prison sentence would be lessened in exchange for information.

Ressam's admission is the latest in a series of public embarassments for CSIS as its case against Charkaoui continues to unravel along with the discredited security certificate regime. In 2004, the Federal Court set aside information from Abu Zubaydah - the second of three named informants in Charkaoui's case - after reports emerged that Zubaydah had been tortured in US custody. In January 2005, government lawyers revealed that CSIS had destroyed evidence in the case; the Supreme Court has recently agreed to hear a second challenge by Mr. Charkaoui relating to this destruction of evidence. In February 2005, shortly after Mr. Charkaoui was released from prison, Radio Canada published evidence indicating that Moroccan prisoner Noureddine Nafiaâ - the third informant named in the case - had signed his 'confession' blind-folded and under torture, and had later recanted.

The security certificate against Mr. Charkaoui - signed in May 2003 by then Immigration Minister Denis Coderre and Solicitor-General Wayne Easter - has never been upheld in court. His case has been suspended since March 2005 when the government was forced to withdraw a key decision on the risk Charkaoui faces if deported to Morocco. In February 2007, the Supreme Court found the security certificate regime itself to be unconstitutional, but suspended the effect of its ruling for one year.
VIEW FULL STATEMENT THAT WAS RELEASED AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE.