by "[email]" Source: The People's Commission Network URL: [link] Date: October 1, 2010 Over the past decade, we have, through strong public campaigns and legal action, won real victories in the campaign against security certificates. Most significantly, two of the detainees – Adil Charkaoui and Hassan Almrei - were freed from this nightmare last year. But despite no longer being shackled by house arrest and the threat of deportation to torture, their names remain sullied by the unfounded allegations which made their lives hell. And for the other three men and their families, the fight continues. Below: 1. Call to Action for Harkat; 2. Updates on Mahjoub and Jaballah; 3. Updates on Charkaoui, Almrei and Ikhlef. ::: CALL TO ACTION – JUSTICE FOR MOHAMED HARKAT :::

Soon the Federal Court judge will rule in Mohamed Harkat’s case. The decision on whether the security certificate against him is “reasonable” could come any day. A decision that a certificate is “reasonable” is effectively a deportation order. It will determine whether Mohamed and his wife Sophie will at last have their lives restored to them or whether they will have to continue struggling for justice. --> IF THE DECISION IS AGAINST JUSTICE FOR MOHAMED HARKAT There will be an EMERGENCY DAY OF ACTION. Actions are called for 5:30 pm the day after the decision is announced. Make preparations now to make sure your committee, union, or organization is ready to respond! In Ottawa, events will be coordinated by the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee. If you can make it to Ottawa for these events, please do! If you are organizing an event, let the Committee for Justice for Mohamed Harkat know at [email] Watch for updates - and be ready to move! For more info, [link] --> IF THE DECISION IS IN FAVOUR OF JUSTICE FOR MOHAMED HARKAT Have a celebration in your area and support the two people still under security certificates, Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammed Mahjoub. (See below.)--> EITHER WAY Make a donation to the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee. Funds are urgently needed. Write a cheque or money order payable to "Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee" and send it to Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee 14 Perkins St., Ottawa ON K1R 7G5 Important: once you have mailed your cheque, please confirm by email at [email]. --> BACKGROUND Mohamed Harkat, a refugee from Algeria, was arrested under a security certificate on December 10th, 2002. He and his wife Sophie have been fighting for justice ever since. In June 2006, Mohamed was released from prison into a severe form of house arrest. In February 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the security certificate process as failing to meet constitutionally guaranteed human rights. A year later, the government issued new security certificates against Mohamed and four other Muslim victims of security certficates under a slightly modified, but still fundamentally unjust, process. In September 2009, most of Mohamed Harkat’s conditions were lifted. For more information, see the Justice for Harkat website, [link] "Experts reflect on the reasonableness of the reasonableness hearings," Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen, 4 September 2010 [link] What's a security certificate? [link] :::UPDATES ON OTHER SECURITY CERTIFICATE DETAINEES::: [link] --> What you can do: 1. Attend the public portion of Mahjoub's secret "trial" in Toronto. Email [email] to find out details. 2. Write a short statement of support for Mr. Mahjoub and send it to us so we can send it to him (contacts below). He is not allowed to publicize his address. Keep in mind that your note will be opened and photocopied by government agents, so please keep it short and simple, and do not ask or comment on the case or make any comments that could be used against Mr. Mahjoub. MAHMOUD JABALLAH. After refusing to be a spy for CSIS, Jaballah was arrested under a security certificate in 1999 and faced the threat of deportation to Egypt, which he had fled after being repeatedly imprisoned and tortured. His certificate was thrown out, but he was re-arrested in August 2001, with CSIS admitting it had no new evidence against Jaballah, only a "new interpretation" of the old case that had been dismissed. A third certificate was issued in February 2008 under new security certificate legislation. Jaballah was ordered released from prison under house arrest in April 2007. He remains under severe house arrest that punishes his entire family. The public portion of his reasonability hearings will take place later this fall. --> What you can do: 1. Attend the public portion of the secret "trial" in Toronto. Email [email] to find out details. 2. Write a short statement of support for Mr. Jaballah and send it to us so we can send it to him (contacts below). He is not allowed to publicize his address. Keep in mind that your note will be opened and photocopied by government agents, so please keep it short and simple, and do not ask or comment on the case or make any comments that could be used against Mr. Jaballah. ::: PAST SECURITY CERTIFICATE DETAINEES :::

The government has so far refused to apologize or make reparations to past security certificate detainees. Years were stolen from their lives, they have been detained, humiliated, threatened with torture, lies have been published about them, and their entire families punished. HASSAN ALMREI. In December 2009, the Federal Court threw out the security certificate against Toronto-based Hassan Almrei, after an eight year battle. Almrei launched a legal suit against the government's violations of his rights in May 2010. See Canadian Press, “Hassan Almrei sues federal government”, 4 May 2010, [link] ADIL CHARKAOUI. In September 2009, the Federal Court threw out the security certificate against Montreal teacher Adil Charkaoui, after six and a half years of struggle. In March 2010, Charkaoui launched a lawsuit aimed at holding the government accountable for the injustices he and his family suffered. For more information: [link] MOURAD IKHLEF. Mourad Ikhlef was accepted as a refugee in Canada in 1994. Arrested in December 2001 under a security certificate, he was forcibly separated from his wife and children and deported from Montreal to Algeria in 2003 – the very country that he had fled before claiming asylum in Canada. Canadian officials handed him directly to the DRS, the notorious Algerian intelligence agency. He was held incommunicado and statements that he made under duress during that period of detention were later used to sentence him to prison. See Canadian Press, “Canada Delivers Deportee into arms of abusive Algerian secret police”, 16 December 2009: [link] ---------------------------- People's Commission Network [link] Email: [email] Mailing address: QPIRG Concordia c/o Concordia University 1455 de Maisonneuve O Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8