INDEPTH: MAHER ARAR
Maher Arar: Timeline
CBC News Online | Updated Oct. 11, 2006
Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen born in Syria in 1970, came to Canada in 1987. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in computer engineering, Arar worked in Ottawa as a telecommunications engineer.
Arar with his daughter (file photo) |
On a stopover in New York as he was returning to Canada from a vacation in Tunisia in September 2002, U.S. officials detained Arar, claiming he has links to al-Qaeda, and deported him to Syria, even though he was carrying a Canadian passport.
When Arar returned to Canada more than a year later, he said he had been tortured during his incarceration and accused American officials of sending him to Syria knowing that they practise torture.
His wife Monia Mazigh has a PhD in financial economics and ran for the NDP in the 2004 federal election in the riding of Ottawa South. She lost. Arar and Mazigh have two young children. In the summer of 2006, the family relocated to Kamloops, B.C., where Mazigh took a teaching position at Thompson Rivers University.
Arar and his family are seeking compensation from the federal government for his abrupt deportation and imprisonment in Syria. Judge Dennis O'Connor, who conducted the inquiry into the matter, recommended in his report dated Sept. 18, 2006 that Ottawa pay up.
TIMELINE:
Oct. 12, 2006
Three more Canadian men — Muayyed Nureddin, Abdullah Almalki and Ahmad El Maati — demand an independent inquiry into their allegations that they were imprisoned and tortured in Syria.
CBC STORY: 3 more Canadians alleging torture seek Arar-style inquiry
Sept. 28, 2006
RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli breaks more than a week of silence on Maher Arar's ordeal, apologizing for the "nightmare" that arose when the Mounties wrongly linked him to terrorism. Speaking before the House of Commons security committee, Zaccardelli denies that the government muzzled him from speaking earlier on the case and insists he will not step down as commissioner over the affair.
Several critics have called for Zaccardelli's resignation following the revelation of the RCMP's blunders, detailed in O'Connor's report on the investigation.
When pressed about why he didn't know about the Arar file earlier, Zaccardelli tells Liberal MP Irwin Cotler he couldn't have followed each of the thousands of national security investigations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
CBC STORY: RCMP chief apologizes to Arar for 'terrible injustices'
Sept. 20, 2006
After receiving a vote of confidence, the House of Commons issues a unanimous apology for the detention and torture of Arar, but a Conservative minister insists it is an expression on behalf of Parliament – not the government. Prime Minister Stephen Harper does not attend in the House of Commons, having already left for New York to appear at the United Nations General Assembly.
CBC STORY: Arar report puts U.S. 'rendition' policy into spotlight
Sept. 18, 2006
In his main report, O'Connor says there is no evidence Arar was ever linked to extremist groups or was a threat to Canada's national security. O'Connor finds Canadian consular officials treated Arar as well as they could under the circumstances. He has, however, nothing but sharp criticism for the RCMP.
The judge finds the RCMP had rules in place to restrict and qualify the kinds of intelligence information they routinely exchange with their counterparts in the U.S. But he finds that in this case, the rules were broken. As a result, he concludes, the FBI and U.S. security officials were given an inaccurate and unfair picture of the Arars and that this portrait dogged his entire time in a Syrian jail.
O'Connor also finds that the RCMP blocked Foreign Affairs from trying to get Arar returned to Canada earlier and omitted certain important facts about the Arar case when briefing senior government officials.
The judge says he will h4ly recommend Canada compensate the Arars for what happened to them.
CBC STORY: False RCMP info 'very likely' led to Arar deportation: report
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/09/18/maher-arar.html
Feb. 16, 2006
A U.S. federal judge dismisses Maher Arar's lawsuit against American officials. Judge David Trager says he can't interfere in a case involving crucial national security issues. "The need for much secrecy can hardly be doubted," he writes.
Oct. 27, 2005
A fact-finder appointed by the Arar inquiry releases a report concluding that Arar was tortured when in Syrian custody three years ago. "I am convinced that his description of his treatment in Syria is accurate," Stephen Toope wrote.
CBC STORY: Arar was tortured, inquiry fact-finder concludes
Sept. 14, 2005
The Arar Commission concludes the main phase of its public hearings.
Aug. 23, 2005
RCMP Sgt. Rick Flewelling testifies that he spoke to U.S. officials about Arar's dual Canadian-Syrian citizenship and he didn't know the Americans would deport Arar to Syria.
June 30, 2005
RCMP Supt. Mike Cabana tells the Arar inquiry the Mounties shared intelligence with Syrian officials in the fall of 2002.
CBC STORY: RCMP shared intelligence with Syria, Arar inquiry told
June 16, 2005
Justice Dennis O'Connor, head of the Arar inquiry, denies a request to loosen government secrecy rules around the testimony of RCMP anti-terrorism officer Supt. Mike Cabana. O'Connor says lifting the rules would lead to a court battle that could delay the inquiry for months or years.
Paul Heinbecker, Canada's former ambassador to the UN, says the testimony of Franco Pillarella, Canada's former ambassador to Syria, at the Arar inquiry has tainted the reputation of the country's entire diplomatic service.
CBC STORY: Sharp rebuke for ambassador over Arar comments
June 14, 2005
Franco Pillarella, Canada's ambassador to Syria at the time of Arar's deportation, says he didn't take action on the case because he saw no proof Arar was mistreated. Arar told consular officials he had been in custody for two weeks, but Pillarella believed a Syrian general who said Arar had been there only 24 hours.
Pillarella would later say that he didn't ask the Syrians where Arar was being held, and Canadian officials were "beggars, not choosers" when it came to such information, because he did not want to risk offending Syria and losing contact with Arar.
He would also give contradictory testimony about his knowledge of the Syrian prison where Arar was being held, which had been mentioned in several reports on torture in Syria.
CBC STORY: Ambassador believed Syrian general over Arar
CBC STORY: Arar inquiry told Canadians were 'beggars, not choosers'
June 13, 2005
RCMP Supt. Mike Cabana, head of an investigation into possible al-Qaeda activity, says government claims of national security will limit what he can say when he testifies at the Arar inquiry.
CBC STORY: Ottawa hampering Arar testimony: RCMP investigator
June 3, 2005
Former solicitor general Wayne Easter, who was in charge of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service at the time of Arar's detention in New York, says Canada played no role in the U.S. decision to deport him.
CBC STORY: Canadian officials 'not involved' in deporting Arar: Easter
June 2, 2005
Defence Minister Bill Graham apologizes for the length of Arar's prison stay in Syria. He says things would have been different if Canada had known what it knows now. "Clearly we would've preferred he'd been gotten out earlier, and I'm very sorry that he was not, for obvious reasons," he says.
CBC STORY: Graham sorry for length of Arar's prison stay
June 1, 2005
Senator Pierre De Bané testifies that U.S. officials offered to return Arar to Canada on condition that he be incarcerated and charged. When Canada refused, the U.S. deported Arar to Syria. De Bané says he learned of the offer from former Foreign Affiars Department officer Gar Pardy, who testified earlier.
CBC STORY: U.S. offered to return Arar to Canada, inquiry hears
May 30, 2005
Defence Minister Bill Graham, who was foreign affairs minister when Arar was deported to Syria, testifies that at the time he had no reason to believe Arar was being tortured in Syria. He says he was "frustrated" by the lack of co-operation he received from Canadian police and security officials.
CBC STORY: Graham 'frustrated' by lack of Arar information
May 25, 2005
Gar Pardy, formerly an officer with the Foreign Affairs Department, testifies that agents with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service visited Syria while Arar was detained there. Pardy is not permitted to say whom the agents met with or what was said, but he says they did not meet with Arar.
CBC STORY: CSIS visited Syria during Arar's imprisonment
May 24, 2005
Arar asks Prime Minister Paul Martin to order the release of uncensored documents dealing with his arrest and deportation, and he threatens to boycott the inquiry if the government fails to do so.
CBC STORY: Arar asks PM to release documents
May 21, 2005
After reviewing Canada's compliance with the Convention Against Torture, a UN committee concludes that Ottawa should have intervened to protect Arar from being sent to Syria.
CBC STORY: Canada should have intervened in Arar case: UN report
May 18, 2005
Dan Livermore, the director general of the Foreign Affairs Department's security and intelligence bureau, says U.S. officials used a process called extraordinary rendition to deport Arar to Syria. "I find troubling the entire course of activity the American government has embarked upon since about 2001 with respect to what they call extraordinary rendition, a practice which we knew absolutely nothing about," says Livermore.
CBC STORY: U.S. actions in Arar case called 'extremely troubling'
May 11, 2005
Judge Dennis O'Connor says Arar won't have to testify during the public phase of the inquiry, because Arar has not been able to see the top-secret evidence the inquiry has heard. Arar may be able to testify following O'Connor's interim report.
CBC STORY: Arar won't have to testify until after inquiry's 1st report
May 3, 2005
Government lawyer Barbara McIsaac admits that Arar was a victim when he was deported, but does not declare his innocence or say Canadian officials did anything wrong.
CBC STORY: Arar was a victim, federal lawyer admits
April 21, 2005:
The public inquiry releases 2,300 pages of documents, government e-mail and hand-written notes. Arar's supporters say the documents show some Canadian officials actively encouraged his interrogation. "Canadian officials were extremely eager to obtain the fruits of the torture that was inflicted on Mr. Arar," said his lawyer, Lorne Waldman.
CBC STORY: Documents suggest Canadian involvement in Arar interrogation
Dec. 20, 2004:
Arar accuses the federal government of withholding information from the inquiry into his case because it reflects well on him. Lawyers for the inquiry say they will go to federal court to try to force the government to release the blacked out material.
CBC STORY: Release information and clear my name: Arar to Martin
Nov. 26, 2004:
Head of the Arar inquiry, Justice Dennis O'Connor, releases more than 1,000 pages of RCMP documents on how Canadian officials treated Maher Arar. More than half of their content is blacked out for security concerns.
CBC STORY: More Arar documents made public
Sept. 24, 2004:
An internal RCMP report is released saying the force lacked the experience to conduct national security investigations into Arar. Many pages of the 76-page report are blacked out.
CBC STORY: RCMP report released on Arar case
Sept. 21, 2004:
The U.S. State Department releases a letter saying it will not provide any documents or co-operate in any way with the Arar inquiry.
CBC STORY: U.S. won't co-operate with Arar inquiry
Sept. 14, 2004:
A heavily censored portion of a classified report from the Security Intelligence Review Committee is released. The report says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service wasn't aware the U.S. planned to arrest and deport Maher Arar to Syria.
CBC STORY: Spy agency cleared in Arar deportation: report
July 29, 2004:
Inquiry commissioner Justice Dennis O'Connor rules that any evidence about Canada's involvement in Arar's deportation must be cleared in-camera for national security concerns. The ruling further delays the start of the public inquiry until the late fall.
July 14, 2004:
The inquiry into the Maher Arar case reschedules its public hearings, originally slated for the last two weeks of July, until the fall.
July 12, 2004:
The RCMP Public Complaints Commission denies it made edits to a five-page letter written by the RCMP released under an access to information request several weeks ago. Lawyers for Maher Arar made the request and received a version with key passages omitted. The full version surfaced at the public inquiry into the Arar case. An RCMP deputy commissioner said the independent complaints commission made the changes.
CBC STORY: Lawyers: Who edited Arar letter?
July 6, 2004:
A report released at the inquiry confirms the RCMP were in contact with U.S. authorities from Arar's arrest in New York to his deportation to Syria. The RCMP says none of the communications were improper or inaccurate, but some may not have been authorized. Arar's lawyer says the documents show there were multiple exchanges between Canadian and U.S. authorities. RCMP deputy commissioner Garry Loeppky testifies that some of the information the RCMP passed to the U.S. came from another unnamed agency in Canada. Loeppky also says the Mounties do not have an agreement to share information with Syria.
CBC STORY: Arar inquiry to hear torture tale from another Canadian
July 5, 2004:
A lawyer for the commission of inquiry says the Syrian government has turned down a request for assistance and will not co-operate with the inquiry, saying there is no treaty on legal co-operation between Canada and Syria. At the inquiry, Arar's lawyers argue that Ottawa should be forced to release all documents related to the case, because many of the document have been leaked to the media.
CBC STORY: Arar documents should be made public, lawyers say
June 30, 2004:
RCMP deputy commissioner Garry Loeppky testifies that information on innocent people involved in police investigations is stored in a national database, and that information can be passed to U.S. authorities if they request it.
CBC STORY: RCMP official at Arar inquiry says innocent people placed in national database
June 21, 2004:
The inquiry into Maher Arar's deportation to Syria and his treatment there begins in Ottawa. The first witness is Ward Elcock, the former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who testifies about the basic workings of the service.
CBC STORY: First witness to appear at Arar inquiry
March 9, 2004:
Ottawa's police chief admits that his force was part of a joint operation investigating Maher Arar before he was deported. Vince Bevan says his force's involvement "took place as part of joint police operations with other national security agencies, including the RCMP." But he provides no further details.
CBC STORY: Ottawa police chief admits force's role in Arar case
Feb. 6, 2004:
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan defines the scope of the Arar inquiry, giving Justice Dennis O'Connor the power to see classified documents and to recommend a new review mechanism for the RCMP.
CBC STORY: McLellan outlines scope of Maher Arar inquiry
Jan. 28, 2004:
McLellan calls a public inquiry into the Arar case, to be led by Justice Dennis O'Connor, the judge who recently headed the inquiry into tainted water in Walkerton, Ont. McLellan says O'Connor will "assess the actions of Canadian officials in dealing with the deportation and detention of Maher Arar."
CBC STORY: Ottawa promises inquiry will get to the bottom of Arar case
Jan. 22, 2004:
Arar launches a lawsuit against the American government, seeking financial compensation and an admission of wrongdoing. The lawsuit alleges that U.S. officials deported Arar knowing that Syria practises torture.
CBC STORY: Arar launches lawsuit against U.S. government
Jan. 21, 2004:
RCMP officers raid the home and office of Juliet O'Neill, a journalist with the Ottawa Citizen, as part of an investigation into leaks of secret government documents in the Arar case.
CBC STORY: Reporter's home searched by RCMP as part of Arar investigation
Jan. 16, 2004:
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, who acted as counsel to Arar during part of his imprisonment and supported his demand for a public inquiry, says he will withdraw from any involvement in the Arar case.
CBC STORY: Justice minister says he can't be involved in Arar case
Dec. 22, 2003:
The Security Intelligence Review Committee announces it will investigate how the Canadian Security Intelligence Service handled the Arar case.
CBC STORY: SIRC to investigate CSIS role in Arar case
Nov. 5, 2003:
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien tells the House of Commons that the U.S. government's deportation of a Canadian to Syria was "unacceptable," but he is adamant that he will not allow an independent inquiry into the case of Arar. He says his government has asked U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell for an explanation and that the government also wants to find out whether Canadian intelligence officials played a role in the deportation of Arar.
CBC STORY: Ottawa asks U.S. for explanation of Arar case, but turns down public inquiry
Nov. 4, 2003:
Arar tells of his year spent in a Syrian jail and says he was mentally and physically tortured and forced to confess that he spent time in Afghanistan.
CBC STORY: 'Daily life in that place was hell': Arar
Oct. 30, 2003:
CBC News learns that Arar has told federal officials that he was tortured while a prisoner in the Middle East.
CBC STORY: Arar says he was tortured in Syria
Oct. 23, 2003:
A commission that handles complaints against the RCMP wants the force to answer questions about whether it played a role in the deportation of Arar from the U.S. to Syria.
CBC STORY: RCMP faces complaints probe into Arar case
Oct. 9, 2003:
Solicitor General Wayne Easter turns down opposition calls for a public inquiry into the Arar case.
CBC STORY: Easter accused of stonewalling, refuses to launch Arar investigation
Oct. 6, 2003:
Arar returns to Montreal, 375 days after U.S. immigration officials arrested him.
CBC STORY: Canadian freed from Syrian jail happy to be home
Oct. 5, 2003:
Syria frees Arar. Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham notifies Arar's wife, Monia Mazigh, and credits "quiet Canadian diplomacy" for the release.
CBC STORY: Syria frees jailed Canadian
Sept. 25, 2003:
Appearing before a foreign affairs committee, Mazigh asks MPs to continue working on behalf of her husband. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Richard Proulx refuses to discuss case with MPs.
Sept. 25, 2003:
Graham says Syrian officials have assured him Arar will be tried in a civil, and not military trial.
CBC STORY: Arar can get fair trial in Syria: Graham
Aug. 8, 2003:
Graham says Canada will not recall ambassador.
CBC STORY: Ottawa won't recall ambassador from Syria
Aug. 7, 2003:
Mazigh demands Canada recall its ambassador to Syria.
CBC STORY: Wife says husband sent to Syria 'like a parcel'
Aug. 6, 2003:
A report by the London-based group Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) says Arar is being tortured and beaten while in jail.
CBC STORY: Rights group says Canadian tortured in Syria
July 31, 2003:
The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations calls for parliamentary inquiry into Arar's arrest and deportation.
June 27, 2003:
In a letter to Arar's wife, Chrétien pledges "all possible consular assistance" to get him released.
CBC STORY: PM pledges to bring deported Canadian home
April 30, 2003:
Syria tells Canada it will charge Arar with membership in a banned Muslim organization, the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria.
Nov. 19, 2002:
Mazigh meets with Foreign Affairs officials.
CBC STORY: Confusion over fate of Canadian man deported from U.S.
Oct. 29, 2002:
Canada issues travel advisory to all Canadians born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria to reconsider entering the United States. It follows a U.S. decision to photograph and fingerprint people born in those countries who enter the U.S.
Oct. 22, 2002:
Foreign Affairs Department says Arar is being held in a Syrian prison.
CBC STORY: Missing engineer in jail in Syria, Foreign Affairs says
Oct. 21, 2002:
Arar seen in Syria.
CBC STORY: Missing Ottawa engineer turns up in Syria
Oct. 16, 2002:
Graham complains to U.S. government about arrest and deportation of Arar.
CBC STORY: Anger builds over Canadian deported to Syria
Oct. 10, 2002:
Canadian officials are informed Arar has been deported.
Oct. 7 or 8, 2002:
U.S. officials deport Arar to Syria.
Sept. 26, 2002:
Arar is detained by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization officials at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport while returning alone to Montreal from a family vacation in Tunisia. A citizen of both Canada and Syria, he is carrying a Canadian passport. American officials allege Arar has links to al-Qaeda and detain and question him.
^TOP
|
|
 |
 MENU |
|
|
| CBC AUDIO: |
|
|
| RELATED: |
|
|
| EXTERNAL LINKS: |
|
|
| MORE: |
|
|
|
On The Current Anna Maria Tremonti speaks with Maher Arar. 
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. Links will open in new window.
