EDITORIAL: "Trudeau must speak out on Hassan Diab," published by The Ottawa Citizen, on June 23, 2017.
GIST: "Justin Trudeau once proclaimed that “A Canadian is a Canadian is a
Canadian.” But if the Canadian’s name is Hassan Diab, the government would prefer not to speak up. That’s no longer good enough. In November 2014, Diab, an Ottawa academic who is Lebanese-born, was
extradited to France. There, he’s been in prison as he is investigated
over the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed several people
and wounded many more. It’s alleged he was a member of the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine and was behind the attack. Diab has always insisted he’s innocent, and the evidence that he
participated is growing thinner. Jean-Marc Herbaut, a French
investigating judge, said in November 2016 that the facts so far appear
to back Diab’s claim that he was in Lebanon at the time of the bombing.
Several times, investigating judges in France have said Diab should at
least be released on bail, but in each instance appellate judges have
said no. In signing the original extradition order, Canadian Superior Court
Justice Robert Maranger said that while the evidence against Diab
probably wouldn’t have been good enough to convict him in Canada, extradition law carries lower standards. So he signed off on France’s
request to get its hands on Diab. That means the 63-year-old ex-uOttawa
instructor could face trial based on, among other things, evidence that
may have been extracted through torture, and handwriting samples already
discounted in Canadian courts. This week, Diab’s Canadian lawyer, Donald Bayne, revealed that six witnesses
now say Diab was in Lebanon at the time of the 1980 attack, and
university records in Beirut appear to show he wrote exams around that
time. There is also some evidence that Diab’s passport – which ended up
with the terror group – might have been stolen and used by someone
else.........Nobody can say that Diab is innocent of any crime. But the legal
evidence that he committed one seems to be slowly unravelling and the
time being taken by the French to figure things out is unconscionable. Perhaps Diab is the subject of the paranoid politics of the post-9/11
era, or of French fears of looking soft on terror when European cities,
including in France, have endured horrendous terrorist attacks. Diab’s
lawyers argue this is one reason his bail is constantly overturned. Canada can do better than maintain a shy silence. Trudeau must insist
on concrete action one way or another from France. In democratic
countries, we don’t hold people in jail indefinitely without trial or
freedom. Or do we?"
The entire editorial can be found at:
The entire editorial can be found at:
See earlier Ottawa Citizen story at the link below: A leading U.S. handwriting expert told Hassan Diab' s extradition hearing Monday that pivotal French handwriting analysis being used against the alleged terrorist is biased and fatally flawed. In a stinging rebuke, U.S. forensic document examiner John Osborn said French evidence comparing Diab's handwriting with the writing of a man who signed a Paris hotel register in the fall of 1980 is "confusing and convoluted."
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
