Public Inquiry into Arar case announced

[k hanly <khanly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am very surprised by this. I thought that Martin would avoid an inquiry.

Cheers, Ken Hanly

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1075291136761&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

OTTAWA - The federal government will hold a full public inquiry under
Justice Dennis O'Connor into events surrounding the deportation and torture
of Ottawa engineer Maher Arar.
The controversy surrounding the treatment of Arar, deported to Syria by U.S.
authorities after receiving information from the RCMP, dogged Prime Minister
Paul Martin's government as well as that of his predecessor Jean Chrétien.

The decision to call the inquiry came from the Prime Minister's Office,
sources said Wednesday.

O'Connor, an Ontario Court of Appeal judge, headed the inquiry into the
Walkerton, Ont., tainted-water tragedy.

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said "O'Connor will assess the actions
of Canadian officials in dealing with the deportation and detention of Maher
Arar."

"He will have all the powers set out in the (Inquiries) Act, including the
authority to hold public hearings, summon witnesses, compel testimony and to
gather such evidence as needed to conduct the inquiry," said McLellan, who
is also minister of public safety and emergency preparedness.

Martin had said he was awaiting the results of two separate inquiries, but
recent events, including a raid by the RCMP on a journalists's home, brought
the issue to a head.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham learned of the inquiry today, sources
said.

A spokesperson for Arar said he would comment later today.

Arar, 33, has consistently called for a public inquiry since he was returned
to Canada in the fall.

The Syrian-born Canadian was detained Sept. 26, 2002 as he passed through
JFK International Airport in New York on his way home from a vacation in
Tunisia.

Arar, who has dual citizenship, was deported Oct. 8, flown to Jordan and
driven in a car from there to Syria, where he spent a year of solitary
confinement in a tiny grave-like cell.

He said he endured the confinement and torture until October, when he was
released without explanation.

Arar has maintained his innocence, though he did acknowledge that he
confessed under torture. He filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General
John Ashcroft and other top U.S. officials last week alleging they knew he
would be tortured when they deported him to Syria in 2002.

Arar had also been pondering a suit against the Canadian government. His
lawyers have already filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuits against Syria and
Jordan, where he was first sent from the United States.

Canadian officials have said American authorities made a mistake in
deporting Arar.

Arar was suspected by the United States of being associated with al-Qaida
and that he remains a threat to national security.