Being jailed on secret evidence and without charge for the past 35 months has taken a toll on Mohamed Harkat's health. Dr. Colin Cameron, a psychiatrist at the St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre in Brockville, told a Federal Court yesterday Harkat is suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Noting what's traumatic for one person might not be for another, Cameron said that "being in prison in itself qualifies as a traumatic event."Harkat has been in custody since his Dec. 10, 2002, arrest, despite never having been charged with a crime. FEARS FOR HIS LIFE

In March, a Federal Court judge upheld the security certificate on which the terror suspect has been held, paving the way for deportation to his native Algeria. The decision was based extensively on confidential information and alleged evidence that has never been released to Harkat or his lawyers. He's appealing to the Supreme Court and is currently seeking bail pending the outcome of that appeal. "His ultimate fear is for his life," Cameron said. "His worst nightmare would be to be deported to Algeria." Much of Harkat's first year in jail was spent in segregation, in a 3 metre by 2 metre cell. Most nights he cried himself to sleep, only to be woken by nightmares. While those have subsided somewhat, Cameron said Harkat still suffers from regular sleep terrors that wake him up in a state of absolute terror and panic. Lying awake, he's plagued by visions of being tortured, compounded by sensations of having his nails pulled out and skin scraped off. Cameron said it would be much easier to treat Harkat outside jail, where he would be surrounded and supported by family. After spending three hours with him Sept. 27, Cameron said Harkat scored very low on risk assessments, posing a "negligible" risk to the community if released. His past behaviour of attending school, working steadily -- at three jobs when he was arrested -- and being married are all positive indicators of pro-social behaviour, Cameron said. On cross-examination, Cameron agreed that because he didn't have access to all the information about Harkat, the court was in a better position to determine whether he poses a threat to national security. holly dot lake at ott dot sunpub dot com Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved.