RSS FeedThe Almrei case
Hearings are in progress before Justice Richard Mosley in Toronto. Here is a good recent summary by Toronto Star.
(post sponsored by advicescene.com)
Seven Years of Imprisonment and Zero Charges Later, Canada Frees Syrian Terror Suspect
Syrian terror suspect Hassan Almrei was released Friday by Canadian authorities after spending seven years in custody without being formally charged.
Justice Richard Mosley of federal court said in a written statement that the continued detention of Almrei, accused of being a threat to national security, can no longer be justified. “It is difficult to find any cases in the common-law world where a person detained on security grounds has been held for so long,” Mosley J. said.
Almrei was arrested in October 2001 for being connected to an individual suspected by U.S. officials of being linked to the September 11 attacks. That individual was never convicted of terrorism but was convicted of an immigration violation and deported to Syria.
According to the Associated Press,
Almrei was the last remaining terror suspect being held under Canada’s national security certificate law, which allows the government to detain and deport immigrants without charges if they are deemed a threat to national security. The law was enacted shortly after the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
Almrei’s counsel argued that indefinite detention without charge or trial amounted to cruelty.
The judge said that Almrei should be released but closely monitored by authorities until it can be determined whether the security certificate is reasonable and whether he can be deported to Syria or another country.
