A brief introduction to five men held under "security certificates" (Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, 20 October 2007).

Jean-Michel Lacombe, The Concordian, 16 October 07

The citizen's group Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui (CJAC) hopes to sensitize Canadians to the fact that the government practice of extraordinary rendition is happening more frequently than many believe.

At its discussion and strategy forum, slated for Oct. 21, the group aims to challenge any belief that cases like Maher Arar's - a Canadian citizen subjected to torture in Syria due to allegations of terrorism - are an exception.

The case of Arar opened the eyes of many Canadians to the government's practice of extraordinary rendition - of transfering people under suspicion of terrorist activities to a foreign state, often to the threat of torture and prolonged imprisonment.

NO NEW SECURITY CERTIFICATE LEGISLATION
FREE THE SECRET TRIAL FIVE

Minister of "Public Safety" Stockwell Day is expected to introduce new security certificate legislation in Parliament any day now. The reform comes in response to strong public opposition to the security certificate - a symbol of injustice against migrants in Canada - and in response to the Supreme Court decision in February 2007 that the 'security certificate' process is unconstitutional.

    Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, by Stephen Grey, October 2007

Shadows whose fate can only be guessed at

The frenzied US-led hunt for al-Qaida has led to people being put through 'rendition' - the secret and usually illegal transfer of suspects across national borders to face often extreme questioning without legal process. Despite the furore over the rendition system, it is still in operation.

Evening against security certificates includes Canadian ‘rendered’ to torture

Montreal, 10 October 2007 – The Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui is deeply disappointed by the Federal Court’s decision to continue to impose bail conditions on Mr. Charkaoui, despite the Supreme Court ruling on 23 February 2007 that the security certificate process is unconstitutional, and despite the demonstrated lack of credibility of the public case against Mr. Charkaoui.

Panel, dinner and strategy session to oppose a new "security certificate"

Sunday, 21 October 2007
5pm Panel with Abdullah Almalki, Adil Charkaoui, Yavar Hameed, and Dominique Peschard
7pm Free community supper
8pm Strategy session

CÉDA, 2515 Délisle St., Lionel Groulx metro

Free and fun childcare onsite (Bring Your Kids!)
Translation between English, French, and Arabic

        By Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters, 4 October 2007

Washington - A secret CIA overseas detention program revealed by President George W. Bush last year is still active and has held at least one al Qaeda militant since then, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

The official confirmed the detention as the White House skirted around whether the agency had begun using secret sites again and insisted that the United States does not torture.

The New York Times on Thursday reported the CIA was again holding prisoners at "black sites" overseas, and that the Justice Department under then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had issued a secret opinion in 2005 that endorsed the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the CIA.

    Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui, 21 September 2007

Federal Court hearings
Monday, 24 September, from 9:30am
Federal Court, 30 McGill St., Montreal

More information, interviews: cell 514 222 0205

In June, the Montreal daily La Presse published leaked top secret information, containing unproven, sensational allegations against Adil Charkaoui. Mr. Charkaoui categorically denied the allegations and asked for a public inquiry into the actions of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in his file.

On 29 June, CSIS announced that it had begun an internal investigation into the criminal leak and that it had asked the RCMP to open a police investigation. Almost three months later, there has been no further news of either investigation.

Position of Canadian Council for Refugees on the security certificate after the Supreme Court decision striking down the security certificate as unconstitutional: click here.