Children demanded fair trials for their jailed fathers, lawyers called for humane prison conditions, and the son of a former prime minister questioned Canadian values.

Such was a peaceful protest yesterday by more than 200 people outside the Metro West Detention Centre.

Alexandre Trudeau, son of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, joined union leaders, church members and dozens of local Muslims to protest the detention of five men on national security certificates, three of whom are held at the Toronto jail.

"I was dumbfounded to learn that in Canada, we were holding people without charging them," Trudeau told the crowd to chants of "Shame!" and "Stop Islamaphobia!"

"We're not asking for (the government) to say these men are innocent," said Ahmad Jaballah, 18, the eldest son of Egyptian Mahmoud Jaballah, who's been held at Metro West -- mostly in solitary confinement -- since August, 2001, based on the secret evidence of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

"We are just asking that they give these men a fair and open hearing in court," he said.

Mahmoud Jaballah, fellow Egyptian Mohammad Mahjoub, Syrian Hassan Almrei and Algerian Mohamed Harkat have been held without charge for several years as the Canadian government attempts to deport them.

Mahjoub, on day 59 of a hunger strike, has served the most time -- more than five years.

The fifth man, Moroccan native Adil Charkaoui, was released on bail in February.

Almrei ended a 73-day hunger strike yesterday, but he's still demanding a guarantee of one hour of fresh air a day, the right to send out letters from jail and to have a radio and TV in his cell.

"This is a form of torture," said his lawyer, Kikelola Roach, who demanded the Ontario government provide her client with the United Nations' minimum standards for prisoners.

Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved.