Troubling lack of candour by CSIS

posted on July 19, 2009 | in Category CSIS | PermaLink

by Lorne Waldman, opinion piece Source: The Toronto Star URL: [link] Date: July 14, 2009 Spy agency has abused power by providing tainted testimony in secret hearings

CSIS, Canada's spy agency, has been making headlines recently. Unfortunately, the headlines have not been very flattering. The latest revelation came in the case of Hassan Almrei, the Syrian man accused of connections to the "Bin Laden network." His case is proceeding under the notorious security certificates, a process that allows for evidence to be given in secret. Justice Richard Mosley of the Federal Court disclosed last month that during the course of the secret hearings in the case, CSIS had provided inaccurate information to the court about the reliability of two informants. This came on the heels of an earlier ruling in the case of Mohamed Harkat by Justice Simon Noel, who came to a similar conclusion about the lack of candour of CSIS in that case. Almrei and Harkat are two of five men who have been accused under the security certificate regime of being connected to Al Qaeda. The possible consequences for all of the men are extremely serious. Almrei was held in detention for more than seven years while his case made its way through the courts. He was released earlier this year but is still under virtual house arrest. If he loses his case he faces deportation to Syria, where he fears he may be tortured. Each of the other men is in a similar situation. Harkat faces deportation to Algeria and he, too, is convinced he will be tortured there.

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