Original author: Sun Ottawa Bureau
Source: The Ottawa Sun
URL: N/A
Date: March 8, 2005


OTTAWA -- Families of four terrorist suspects jailed under security certificates made another plea yesterday for the federal government to end its "secret trial" process. The mothers, wives and children made the trek to Parliament Hill to press their case and sat in the House of Commons when NDP MP Alexa McDonough tabled a motion to scrap the "reckless" measure.

"In the short term the five men who have been held, in one case up to five years, under security certificates, should either be charged or they should be released," she said.

Family members said even people charged with crimes like murder and rape have the right to a fair trial.

They urged Prime Minister Paul Martin to bring the men to trial or release them.

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Original author: Sophie Harkat Source: Socialist.ca URL: N/A Date: January 2005 Life without my husband, best friend and HERO.

There is not much to report on our case other then the constant stress and anxiety my husband and family have been under for the past few weeks. My husband's "so called" hearing ended on Dec. 9th, 2004 and the decision in his case is still pending. Judge Eleanor Dawson from the Federal Court will be making a decision based on "reasonable grounds to believe" that my husband is associated to terrorism or MIGHT be associated in the future. The ruling is not based on concrete evidence or facts. We have never seen the evidence CSIS has gathered on my husband for national security reasons. We, and our legal team have been in the dark since his arrest.

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Original author: Campbell Clark with reports by Canadian Press Source: The Globe and Mail URL: N/A Date: February 22, 2005 Minister considers legislation to reduce indefinite jailing in terrorism cases

OTTAWA - Canada should consider following Britain's lead by reworking the provisions of controversial national security certificates so that people who are deemed security risks but cannot be deported are not jailed indefinitely, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said yesterday. As two committees reviewing post-Sept. 9, 2001, anti-terrorism legislation raise questions about the controversial use of security certificates, Mr. Cotler said the compromises proposed in Britain might be useful here. Britain's so-called control measures include house arrest and a variety of conditions that include curfews, restrictions on using telephones and other communication devices, and the use of electronic-tagging devices, such as ankle bracelets.

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Check out this new report about Canada's security certificate process author by The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association: HERE

Original author: Nelson Wyatt
Source: Macleans.ca
URL: [link]
Date: February 22, 2005


MONTREAL (CP) - A suspected terrorist suggested Tuesday he's being set up by Canadian intelligence agents working behind the scenes with Moroccan authorities.

Adil Charkaoui criticized the Canadian Security Intelligence Service after federal government lawyers denied a Radio-Canada report that Moroccan authorities had issued an arrest warrant for the 31-year-old last September.

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Original author: Canadian Press (CP) Source: The National Post URL: [link] Date: February 21, 2005

OTTAWA (CP) - Special police and judicial powers granted three years ago to combat terrorism are still needed, even though most of them have never been used, says Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. "The whole purpose of anti-terrorism laws is to ensure that terrorist acts don't take place to begin with," Cotler said Monday after appearing at a Senate committee. He was testifying there on federal legislation that was rushed into law in December 2001, less than three months after the attacks by Islamic extremists on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. The law gave Canadian police the power to make arrests without warrant and to hold suspects without charge if they believe a terrorist act is imminent. Suspects can also be compelled to testify before a judge about what they know of terrorist plans, rather than remaining silent as is their normal right. The arrest and detention powers have never been used and there has been only one attempt to compel testimony since the law was passed. But Cotler said that's no reason to do away with the powers that raised an outcry among civil libertarians when they were enacted. "My position at this point is that those provisions, even if we have not had to have resort to them, are still required," said Cotler. As a backbench Liberal MP in 2001, Cotler expressed concern about the powers and lobbied successfully for a sunset clause that would see them lapse after five years. That term won't run out until 2006. Many other provisions of the law are up for examination now, as part of a separate three-year review written into the legislation. © The Canadian Press 2005

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Original author: Christian Legeais Source: a press release by Comite Justice pour Mohamed Harkat Date: February 18, 2005 For Immediate Release Adil Charkaoui is reunited with his family; Supporters demand the immediate release of the 4 other Muslim men detained under a security certificate

OTTAWA - Members and supporters of The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee are very pleased that Adil Charkaoui is out on bail even though the conditions are very harsh but has finally been reunited with his family and kids. "This is a step in the right direction. All four other Muslim men should be freed, and their security certificate quashed," says Sophie Harkat, wife of Mohamed Harkat detained under a security certificate since December 10th, 2002 in Ottawa. The four other Muslim men being held under security certificates are: Mohammad Mahjoub (married, with three children, held since June, 2000); Mahmoud Jaballah (married, with six children, held since August 2001. He "won" against a prior certificate, a new one was signed despite a lack of any new evidence); Hassan Almrei (single, held since Oct. 2001) and Mohamed Harkat (married, held since December 2002). The fact that a Federal court judge has recognized that Adil Charkaoui is not a threat to national security confirms what The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee has repeatly said: the five Muslim men are imprisoned even though they have done nothing wrong/commited no crime. "Instead of threatening Mr. Charkaoui and using intimidation during a declaration on Thursday, Anne McLellan, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, should admit that the security certificate process is fundamentally unjust and order that the four other Muslim men be freed immediately," says Christian Legeais, campaign manager for the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee. The demands of the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee are that Mohamed Harkat: - Be released immediately; - Not be deported, and the abolition of the Security Certificate and the end of the Secret trials in Canada. For more information contact: Christian Legeais, Comite Justice pour Mohamed Harkat: (613) 276-9102

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Original author: unsigned editorial Source: The Toronto Star URL: [link] Date: February 18, 2005 Editorial: Canada's vexing security cases

Canada has not felt the need to detain many alleged terrorists before or after the 9/11 attacks. But the few we do hold sorely test our legal system. One Egyptian man, Mohamed Mahjoub, has been locked in a Toronto detention centre for nearly five years, since June, 2000, without being charged with a crime, set free or deported. He is one of a small group of Arab men who made their way here, were deemed inadmissible because of suspected terrorist links, and who have been fighting deportation for years, claiming they will be killed or tortured if sent home.

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Original author: Nelson Wyatt
Source: Canadian Press (CP) and The Montreal Gazette
URL: [link]
Date: February 17, 2005


MONTREAL (CP) -- Federal Court ruled Thursday that a man suspected of being a sleeper agent for the al-Qaida terrorist network be released on $50,000 bail.

Justice Simon Noel's ruling came after Adil Charkaoui's fourth bid for release. Federal officials said Thursday there will be no appeal.

"The court has rendered its decision and we have to respect it,'' said Daniel Lavoie, a spokesman for Public Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Charkaoui has been held on a national security certificate for nearly two years after being arrested. The certificate, a controversial provision of the Immigration Act, means most of the evidence against him is seen only by the government and the judge.

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Original author: CBC News Staff
Source: CBC News
URL: [link]
Date: Feb 17, 2005

OTTAWA - A Federal Court judge has granted bail to suspected terrorist Adil Charkaoui, who has spent the past 21 months in jail under a ministerial security certificate.

In a decision Thursday, Judge Simon Noel ruled that Charkaoui, 31, can be released on $50,000 bail, subject to a number of conditions.

Charkaoui must respect a curfew, stay with his family and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. Limits were also placed on who he can contact and on his use of computers.

Several Quebecers, including filmmaker Denys Arcand, have agreed to post the bail money.

It was the fourth bail application by the Moroccan-born Charkaoui, who has been accused of being a sleeper agent for al-Qaeda.

Under a security certificate, the government can detain and deport people without releasing all the evidence against them.

It's not immediately clear whether the federal government can appeal the decision.

At a court hearing in January, Charkaoui's lawyers argued the case against him should be dropped because the Canadian Security Intelligence Service destroyed key notes from interviews with him.

In 2002, intelligence agents held two interviews with Charkaoui, a permanent Canadian resident who has lived in Montreal since 1995.

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