Seven Years of Imprisonment and Zero Charges Later, Canada Frees Syrian Terror Suspect

TOPICS:

Posted By: David Shulman January 3, 2009

160_almrei3_051107Syrian 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.

About the Author

David Shulman
David Shulman holds a B.A.(hons.) from Queen’s University, having majored in Philosophy and minored in History. There, he founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, a successful student academic magazine called Syndicus. The magazine still publishes regularly, and has interviewed such intellectually and socially noteworthy individuals as Noam Chomsky, Arthur Erickson, and Peter Mansbridge. At present, he occasionally advises the current editors. David also holds an M.A. from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), with a specialization in Analytic Philosophy (“PHILMASTER”). His studies and thesis focused on Philosophy of Language and Logic. He is currently a first-year law student at the University of Windsor. His interests include social justice, analytic philosophy, French language, politics, reading, writing, editing, squash, and paintballing.

2 Comments on "Seven Years of Imprisonment and Zero Charges Later, Canada Frees Syrian Terror Suspect"

  1. Jymn | January 3, 2009 at 11:21 pm |

    That’s great. I’m all for it.

    But I have to ask. Are there any Canadians or members of the world who are political prisoners in Iran?

  2. Steve | January 4, 2009 at 5:34 pm |

    Isn’t that typical?

    Raise the issue of civil rights and due process for a guy from Syria here in Canada, and someone mentions issues in Iran.

    Not only are they very different countries, but there is no moral equivalence between the two. Our legal system and rights exist independent of how Canadians may be treated abroad.

    One thing is for sure though, the more we erode our own civil liberties and ignore our own rule of law, the worse Canadians will be treated by others. We should serve as an example, not follow the lead of others.

Comments are closed.