Maher Arar

Maher Arar ( born September 15, 1970 in Syria ) is a Canadian citizen of Syrian descent who was deported for blank terrorism allegations by the U.S. under legally problematic circumstances to Syria and tortured by its own account. After his release, he was able to prove his innocence.

It was the opinion of the official Canadian inquiry commission a case of extraordinary rendition, in German: " extraordinary rendition ," a euphemism for the kidnapping and rendition of terrorism suspects to third countries, partly with the aim that there important information is brought to you by torture.

Biography

At the age of 17 years Arar moved with his parents to Canada in 1991 and received Canadian citizenship. He studied at McGill University in Montreal engineering and graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from. At the University of Quebec, he obtained a master's degree. Already at McGill University, he met his future wife, originally from Tunisia Monia Mazigh, whom he married in 1994.

In February 1997, her daughter Baraa was born, and in December of the same year the family moved from Montreal to Ottawa. In February 2002 her son was born Houd.

Terror allegations

In July 2002, Maher Arar was traveling with his family for a long holiday to Tunisia. His former employer MathWorks contacted him by e -mail and informed him that he was needed in Canada and could accommodate a consultant. Arar would accept this offer and was planning to return to Ottawa via Zurich and New York. On September 25, 2002, he flew from Tunisia to Zurich and the next day from there to New York. There he was arrested by FBI agents at JFK airport in New York. As a Canadian citizen, he need not a visa for a stay in the U.S., but it was nevertheless accused of being " uninvited " entered the United States.

Twelve days Arar was then detained and interrogated in New York. The Americans suspected him of Al- Qaeda of Osama bin Laden to belong. Lacked evidence. During his detention, Arar repeatedly demanded that either bring him to Canada or back to Switzerland, as in the normal case, when a state of a person refused entry, this will be returned under international law there, from where she has traveled.

Because Maher Arar was in possession of dual nationality, he was deported to his native Syria. In March 2002, an official report of the U.S. State Department that " credible evidence " existed that the Syrian security forces torturing prisoners appeared. Article 3 of the UN Convention against Torture, which was also signed by the U.S., prohibits that people be deported to countries where they may face torture. Nevertheless, the then Deputy Minister of Justice, Larry Thompson approved the deportation. On 8 October 2002, Maher Arar was flown to Washington and from there via Rome to Amman Jordan.

On 9 October 2002, Maher Arar was flown to Syria and brought here in the Far - Filastin prison. He was held there in a cell that was 90 inches wide, 1.80 meters long and 2 meters high. In this cell, it remained for over ten months, until 19 August 2003.

He later stated to have been tortured under interrogation. Maher Arar reported that they had asked him to open his right hand. Then said to have been taken with a cable several times on his palm. He stated that he had been beaten during his detention, repeated with wires on arms, palms and soles: " They beat me with a black electric cable, missed me electric shocks and beat me with his bare fists. If I was not tortured himself, I had to the screams of other prisoners being tortured listen. "

Maher Arar woman pleaded for her husband's release. The detention lasted ten months and ten days. On October 5, 2003, Maher Arar was flown to Canada.

The Arar case in Canada sparked extensive media coverage and a public inquiry. The result of this investigation was that Maher Arar was innocent. He filed a lawsuit against former Attorney General John Ashcroft and other U.S. officials.