US kidnaps foreign citizen, sends to Syria to be tortured
A Canadian panel has revealed that a Canadian citizen was abducted by the US while changing planes at JFK and sent to Syria where he was tortured and beaten with a metal cable.
The Canadian, who was held in a small cell in Syria for a year, has been exonerated. He was never charged or brought to trial. The report is scathing about the incident.
...its conclusions about a case that had emerged as one of the most infamous examples of rendition — the transfer of terrorism suspects to other nations for interrogation — draw new attention to the Bush administration’s handling of detainees. And it comes as the White House and Congress are contesting legislation that would set standards for the treatment and interrogation of prisoners.
“The American authorities who handled Mr. Arar’s case treated Mr. Arar in a most regrettable fashion,” Justice O’Connor wrote in a three-volume report, not all of which was made public. “They removed him to Syria against his wishes and in the face of his statements that he would be tortured if sent there. Moreover, they dealt with Canadian officials involved with Mr. Arar’s case in a less than forthcoming manner.”
As usual, the lawyer Glenn Greenwald has pertinent commentary. This case in well known in Canada, yet I can't recall it ever being discussed in the US.
3 comments:
Why dont you post the whole story instead of taking things out of context?
"Judge Dennis O'Connor, who was asked by the Canadian government in 2004 to examine what had happened, found the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had wrongly told U.S. authorities that Arar was an Islamic extremist."
The whole story is here:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18316511.htm
Blame America first...
to "anonymous":
Did you read the article and blog Jeremy linked to? He did provide access to the context.
Sure, the RCMP provided "faulty intelligence", but even if the intelligence were correct the actions of the Bush administration are illegal, immoral and do nothing to safeguard our nation while at the same time do much to harm our country and violate our rights and those of others.
The Bush administration has to bear some of the responsibility in these cases.
As Greenwald says, shouldn't we all be outraged at the current administration's actions, acting on behalf of all American citizens?
2nd Anon....
I'm glad you have the leftist talking points down pat in your second paragraph.
I wish people would be outrage about stuff the Dems and Reps(both) have done and are doing. Rather than always outraged about Reps and very silent about the Dems. Most people don't tend to apply it across the board, rather pick and chose.
I sure didn't hear all the screaming when the Clintons violated peoples "rights" or acted illegally or immoral. As an example.
If the guy is innocent. Then he'll get a nice pay day. My take on this and the whole "war on terrorism" is, the US govt. is supposes to do what it takes to protect US citizens. If it means cracking a few heads together, then so be it. I rather have a few heads cracked together than my head cut of because I don't live or believe a certain way.
All Presidents in the past and in the future will act on the behalf of the all US citizens. It's a winner take all system. Suck it up, you have 2 or so more years.
KoS
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