“In fact, the decision was made before Maher was questioned about his fears of being sent to Syria, before the INS received so-called assurances — and those assurances, the inspector general found, were ambiguous and were never even assessed by the INS.
Maher Arar, who had immigrated to Canada from Syria as a teenager, was detained in September 2002 as he tried to change planes at JFK airport in New York.Maher Arar, who had immigrated to Canada from Syria as a teenager, was detained in September 2002 as he tried to change planes at JFK airport in New York. (CBC)
“So it’s clear, as we’ve alleged, that this was a top-down decision and that Maher’s torture was expected, and we say, intended,” LaHood said.
…
Last year, the Canadian government apologized to Arar, who now lives in Kamloops, B.C., and agreed to pay him almost $10 million in compensation.
The Bush administration continues to bar Arar from entering the U.S., citing classified information.
Source | See Also: Bid to Block Afghan Detainee Inquiry Slammed | CSIS suspected U.S. would deport Arar to be tortured: documents | What Ottawa doesn’t want you to know: Government was told detainees faced ‘extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and detention without trial’
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