Tough house-arrest conditions ruled lawful

posted on January 15, 2009 | in Category Security Certificates | PermaLink

by Colin Freeze
Source: The Globe and Mail
URL: [link]
Date: January 15, 2009


Federal agents keeping tabs on two Egyptians suspected of links to terrorism will continue snapping surreptitious pictures of the suspects, keep following their footsteps, and carry on with seizing, scanning and archiving every piece of mail they receive.

Federal Court Judge Anne MacTavish ruled in a decision Thursday that none of these invasive measures violate the rights of the men, who had been arguing for a relaxation of the most stringent house-arrest conditions ever ordered by Canadian courts.

Lawyers for Mohamed Zeki Mahjoub and Mahmoud Jaballah failed to sway the court that federal agents should ease up on the photos, overt surveillance and mail seizures. The men had not been contesting other measures, such as the electronic ankle bracelets they wear at all times, their bugged phone lines or the bans on making unapproved excursions outside their homes.

The two decisions, each 55 pages, were released Thursday by Judge MacTavish and shed considerable light on the daily realities the men face as they are being monitored.

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