OTTAWA (CP) - The watchdog over CSIS recommends the spy agency make it official policy to consider a country's human rights record and possible security abuses before handing over information. Though the Security Intelligence Review Committee doesn't name names, it appears the recommendation clearly stems from three high-profile cases of Arab-Canadians, all related to the Maher Arar affair, who were imprisoned and interrogated in Syria about alleged terrorist links. "SIRC believes that CSIS's policy framework should reflect the challenges of dealing with countries suspected of human rights violations," says the review committee's annual report tabled Thursday in Parliament.

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