Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui & Ligue des Droits et Libertés, 16 Feb. 2006

Montreal, 16 February 2006 – Even as Adil Charkaoui celebrates the first anniversary of his liberation from prison, over thirty organisations and individuals declare their support for his efforts to modify the extremely severe conditions under which he still finds himself. In fact, Mr. Charkaoui has been subject to a series of conditions among the most draconian that Canada has known.

Among these conditions, it is notable that Mr. Charkaoui must wear an electronic tracking bracelet. This is a first in Canada for an immigration case and a first in Quebec in all cases. Mr. Charkaoui must also permit all federal or provincial agents access to his home without a mandate. He is not allowed to leave home without being accompanied by one of his parents or his brother-in-law. There are numerous other restrictions, ranging from a ban on using the internet to a ban on using any phone except the one in his home. Over time, such a situation has become unbearable not only for him, but his entire family.

These conditions have been imposed despite the fact that no charge has been laid against him and he has not been found guilty of any crime whatsoever.

Even as Charkaoui enjoys a very restricted liberty, four other men remain detained under security certificates : Mohammad Mahjoub, who has been imprisonned since June 2000 ; Mahmoud Jaballah, since August 2001; Hassan Almrei, since October 2001; and Mohamed Harkat, since December 2002.

The future of all five men remains uncertain; they live under a threat of deportation to torture and know neither when nor if they will be freed. Moreover, the Canadian authorities are on the point of opening a permanent detention centre for “terror suspects” in Kingston, Ontario. This centre, which is expected to be opened at the end of March, will be isolated from Millhaven and will accommodate only six detainees. The decision to build this detention centre was taken despite the fact that security certificates have been the subject of sustained criticism (from the population, legal experts, human rights organisations, political figures, the UN Committee against torture, the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention) and despite the fact that the Supreme Court will be hearing a constitutional challenge to security certificates in June and that a Parliamentary Review of the legislation was underway before the election.

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Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui : (514) 290-5589 (French) or (514) 222-0205 (English)

Ligue des droits et Libertés : Alexa Leblanc, tel. 514 849 7717 or communication@liguedesdroits.ca