flying while syrian-canadian

[jinian]

Maher Arar spent over ten months in a Syrian prison. Strangely enough, I believe his story of no wrongdoing over some INS "classified information". I wish I could get Google News to show only U.S. resources, just so I can see if anyone in this country has mentioned word one about the poor man.

Comments

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Um, I heard about it on NPR this morning.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I know it's gotten a lot of coverage on NPR. I also recall reading about it in both the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post.

In one of the NPR radio reports, I recall a claim being made that the RCMP had agreed to this guy being sent to Syria. The RCMP later denounced that claim, and said that they'd never done any such thing. In any case, it was a Very Bad Thing as far as I'm concerned.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

In any case, it was a Very Bad Thing as far as I'm concerned.

from http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20031105-022109-9250r.htm

Unidentified officials told the Washington Post the case apparently occurred under a secret presidential 'finding' that allows the CIA to send suspects to other nations without due process to allow those countries to obtain information by torture.

that seems like somewhat of an understatement, bill.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen this about the secret presidential finding until just now. That's horrible.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Nov/11062003/nation_w/108704.asp

is the first thing i can find. salt lake tribune, of all the places.

http://www.theeastcarolinian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/11/06/3fa95f351b928

and apparently the upi has picked it up--

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20031105-022109-9250r.htm

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

Here (http://www.talkleft.com/archives/001218.html#001218) is a link to a TalkLeft post about the case that references a Boston Globe article from October 2002 (which I can't find in the Google cache, but I remember seeing at the time), and here (http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1008/dailyUpdate.html) is a Christian Science Monitor roundup from last month that refers to him finally returning to Canada.

There are several US sources recently that have mentioned the case, including the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6147-2003Nov5.html) and the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Canada-US-Deportation.html). I remember seeing some limited mentions of the case back in late 2002, as well, but I regularly check some of the Canadian news sources, so I may be misattributing some of their reporting to US sources.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

It's been all over the Canadian press.

I want to go and hug the poor guy.

The thing that scares me most about this is that he's someone like us -- a university educated techie, with a good job, who takes holidays, who uses air-miles to get home cheaply, who wasn't even trying to get into the US, only changing places there on his way home to Canada. He's not some illiterate Syrian just off the boat, he was here since he was 17. This wasn't anyone's mistake. This could happen to me going to a con in the US, and the only reason it wouldn't is because I'm white and harmless looking -- and what sort of protection is that?