PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I have seen several Jewish writers and publications condemn Hassan Diab, support his extradition and detention, and convict him without a trial - even though the forensic evidence relied upon by the French government has been shown to be extremely flawed. It is therefore refreshing to see human rights advocate Bernie Farber and Political Science professor Mira Sucharov, taking a dispassionate look at the facts of the case - and calling on Ottawa to seek justice for Diab.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.''
-------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENTARY: "Ottawa must seek justice for Hassan Diab," by Bernie M/ Farber and Mira Sucharov," published by The Toronto Star on July 10, 2017. (Bernie M. Farber is a long-time human rights advocate and Executive Director of the Mosaic Institute. Mira Sucharov is Associate Professor of Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa.)
SUB-HEADING: "‘By forcing Hassan Diab into legal purgatory, Canada is seriously undermining its commitment to due process; ‘"
PHOTO CAPTION: "Hassan Diab, the Ottawa professor who was extradited to France by the Canadian government as a suspect in a decades-old terror bombing.
GIST: "With
the welcome news of the $10-million apology for the travesties
committed against Omar Khadr, a decade after the Canadian government
apologized and awarded a similar sum to Maher Arar for his tragic
ordeal, we know that Canada doesn’t always get it right. Now is the time
for Canada to seek justice in the case of Hassan Diab. Both
of us were involved in the Canadian and Ottawa Jewish community in 2008
when French authorities accused Diab of having been involved in a 1980
terrorist attack on a Paris synagogue, a heinous act that killed four
and injured scores more. As Diab’s ordeal
hit public consciousness, one of us (Mira Sucharov) was a columnist for
Ottawa’s Jewish newspaper and later wrote for the Canadian Jewish News,
and was (and remains) a professor at Carleton University where Diab
taught. The other (Bernie Farber) was CEO of the Canadian Jewish
Congress. At the time, neither of us
questioned Canada’s decision to extradite Diab to France. In fact, a
spokesperson for Farber’s organization had said that CJC was “very
pleased” that law enforcement authorities were “never giving up in the
fight against terrorism,” noting that the decision “brings comfort to
the victims of terrorism as well.” Nine years later, we realize we were wrong in not speaking out. Casting
a Canadian citizen out of the country to languish, without trial, in a
foreign prison may help Canada adhere to the Extradition Act. And it may
bring comfort to some, as the CJC spokesperson suggested. But we
suggest that this comfort is misplaced. Most importantly, such a
decision brings justice to no one. The
evidence against Diab is shaky at best. It appeared to rest on
handwriting analyses that experts had discredited. The French
authorities had tried to include “secret intelligence” from unidentified
sources — evidence that Canadian authorities threw out. There is
evidence that Diab was in Lebanon, not Paris, on the day of the attack.
Fingerprints at the scene of the crime don’t seem to match those of
Diab. Robert Maranger, the Ontario
Superior Court judge who agreed to the extradition, even admitted that
“the prospects of conviction in the context of a fair trial seem
unlikely.” Nine
years later, with absolutely no movement in sight, it is clear that
Hassan Diab is not receiving justice by Canadian standards. This must
change. It is time for Canadian authorities
to insist that France take proper judicial action or send him home. By
forcing Diab into legal purgatory, Canada is seriously undermining its
commitment to due process — one of the bedrock responsibilities of a
democratic society to its citizens. Some of
you may be reading about this case for the first time. Others may have
received requests to sign petitions. Some of you may have signed them;
others may have deleted the email, feeling burdened by the details of an
extradition case surrounding a citizen’s alleged involvement in a crime
that occurred decades ago. Neither of us
is a trained lawyer. One of us is a social worker and community
relations organizer; the other is a political scientist. But it doesn’t
take an expert in criminal law to know when a government is falling down
on its contract to its citizens. Both of us well understand the impact
of false accusations on communities in any multicultural society,
something all Canadians can intuitively grasp. In
the case of Hassan Diab, we have now concluded that it was all too easy
to unquestioningly accept the decision to leave it in the hands of
France, a fellow democracy. But a decade later, justice has not been
served. Now we must get this right. Doing
so will help ensure that our country avoids living by the ugly rules of
innuendo, unproven assumptions and discredited evidence — and instead
protects the core values of democracy, including a robust adherence to
the principles of justice."
The entire commentary can be found at:
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
