Canada to pay Arar $10.5 million

MrBrian

By Randall Palmer
Fri Jan 26, 3:50 PM ET
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada apologized on Friday to software engineer Maher Arar, who was deported to Syria by U.S. agents after Canadian police mistakenly labeled him an Islamic extremist, and paid him C$10.5 million ($8.9 million) in compensation.

Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen, was arrested during a stopover in New York in 2002 on his way home to Canada from a holiday. He has said he was repeatedly tortured during the year he spent in Damascus jails.

U.S. officials deported Arar after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said he was a suspected Islamic extremist, but an official Canadian inquiry said there was no evidence he was linked to terrorism.

MrBrian

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070126/wl_canada_nm/canada_arar_col_4

lukin2006

MrBrian wrote:

By Randall Palmer
Fri Jan 26, 3:50 PM ET
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada apologized on Friday to software engineer Maher Arar, who was deported to Syria by U.S. agents after Canadian police mistakenly labeled him an Islamic extremist, and paid him C$10.5 million ($8.9 million) in compensation.

Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen, was arrested during a stopover in New York in 2002 on his way home to Canada from a holiday. He has said he was repeatedly tortured during the year he spent in Damascus jails.

U.S. officials deported Arar after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said he was a suspected Islamic extremist, but an official Canadian inquiry said there was no evidence he was linked to terrorism.

Our government is a bunch dumbass's, 10.5 million, what an freakin joke. These people leave their shit hole countries, come over here and take out Canadian citizenship and do not drop their other citizenship. If he had done that all would have been fine.

Pickr

Deserves every penny.

lukin2006

Pickr wrote:

Deserves every penny.

Yeah right, never thought the conservatives would turn into a bunch of bleeding hearts, what a joke our government has become.

MrBrian

beemster wrote:

Yeah right, never thought the conservatives would turn into a bunch of bleeding hearts, what a joke our government has become.

If the same thing happened to you, you would be happy with just a "sorry"?

lukin2006

MrBrian wrote:

If the same thing happened to you, you would be happy with just a "sorry"?

He only got deported because he maintained his syrian citizenship, if he'd dropped it, they would have deported him back to Canada. Like I said they come from their shit hole countries for a better way of life and when the opportunity arises they do not drop their citizenship. duh.

JaneNY

I am glad they are paying. That poor man went through some horrible experiences.

lukin2006

JaneNY wrote:

I am glad they are paying. That poor man went through some horrible experiences.

And you know this how? Because he says...

sourdough

There are many, many people who have dual citizenships. Stephane Dion has French Passport. I am trying to get a South African passport. This does not make me any less Canadian. I want another passport so I can easily travel to and from that country where I have family and also so my wife and I can stay and do volunteer work.

I don't know why Arar still has his Syrian passport, but it is none of any of our business. It is his right to hold it and he was tortured without reason. He definitely is owed it.

lukin2006

sourdough wrote:

There are many, many people who have dual citizenships. Stephane Dion has French Passport. I am trying to get a South African passport. This does not make me any less Canadian. I want another passport so I can easily travel to and from that country where I have family and also so my wife and I can stay and do volunteer work.

I don't know why Arar still has his Syrian passport, but it is none of any of our business. It is his right to hold it and he was tortured without reason. He definitely is owed it.

Yes it does, you have allegiance to one country and one country only.

sourdough

beemster wrote:

Yes it does, you have allegiance to one country and one country only.

Isn't that a very narrow way of looking at the world? Just because you live on one side of an arbitrary line makes THAT much difference? What about allegiance to a country where you have family is in need? Am I any less of a patriot because I want to obtain South African passports for humanitarian reasons???

lukin2006

sourdough wrote:

Isn't that a very narrow way of looking at the world? Just because you live on one side of an arbitrary line makes THAT much difference? What about allegiance to a country where you have family is in need? Am I any less of a patriot because I want to obtain South African passports for humanitarian reasons???

I don't believe in dual citizenship, especially from the middle east and other terrorist states.

sourdough

beemster wrote:

I don't believe in dual citizenship, especially from the middle east and other terrorist states.

Isn't that a slippery slope when you start singling out certain countries? Its not like the Irish, Spainairds, Americans, Chinese etc have had terrorist activities as well. Where do you draw the line?

lukin2006

sourdough wrote:

Isn't that a slippery slope when you start singling out certain countries? Its not like the Irish, Spainairds, Americans, Chinese etc have had terrorist activities as well. Where do you draw the line?

I don't want to draw the line, as far as I'm concerned no dual citizenship period, that includes Bozo the Clown running the federal lieberal party.

MrBrian

He's going after the US next. Gonna be interesting.

Last Exodus

Maybe, but he aint gettin paid.

MrBrian

Yeah.... probably right about that.

DinghyDog

-

Last Exodus

Shit happens........

DinghyDog

-

polaris

holding syrian citizenship is grounds for torture?? ... wtf?? ...

anyways ... if someone offered me 10.8 million to get tortured for 2 years - i'm gonna hafta pass ...

Cosmo

beemster wrote:

I don't believe in dual citizenship, especially from the middle east and other terrorist states.

...
Someone needs their prescriptions refilled, huh?

PintoMusic

sourdough wrote:

I don't know why Arar still has his Syrian passport, but it is none of any of our business.

Some countries do not allow you to renounce your citizenship. I believe Syria is one of them.

Not that it would've made much of a difference. Around that same time, the USA had also deported a woman with sole Canadian woman to India - accusing her of false identity.

lukin2006

Cosmo wrote:

...
Someone needs their prescriptions refilled, huh?

Then get our prescription filled...

lukin2006

PintoMusic wrote:

Some countries do not allow you to renounce your citizenship. I believe Syria is one of them.

Not that it would've made much of a difference. Around that same time, the USA had also deported a woman with sole Canadian woman to India - accusing her of false identity.

Then we shouldn,t have granted hin citizenship...period...

Collin

He deserves every dollar, imo.

beemster why are you so against dual citizenship?

lukin2006

Collin wrote:

He deserves every dollar, imo.

beemster why are you so against dual citizenship?

Because, I beleive in loyalty to one country... not to hard to understand... pretty simple actually... as far as the money goes... he doesn't deserve the money from us or the US, Syria tortured him not us and the US deported him to Syria which is there right since he claims syrian citizenship...As far as the US deporting him goes, if they have a choice between sending him back to Syria or us then I'm willing to bet they choose Syria every time. Why doesn't he sue Syria? They tortured him.

thankyougrandma

hehe, loyalty to one country...

glad for him, mistakes was made, acknowledged and reparation is on the way, which is great even if such an horrible story shouldn't happen in the first place...

Now time for the USA and Syria to pay for their own mistake, this innocent man was tortured for NO reason... other than his origin...

mammasan

Is beemster like the Canadian version of psychosinlove or dino?

polaris

beemster wrote:

Because, I beleive in loyalty to one country... not to hard to understand... pretty simple actually... as far as the money goes... he doesn't deserve the money from us or the US, Syria tortured him not us and the US deported him to Syria which is there right since he claims syrian citizenship...As far as the US deporting him goes, if they have a choice between sending him back to Syria or us then I'm willing to bet they choose Syria every time. Why doesn't he sue Syria? They tortured him.

holding syrian citizenship is not grounds for torture ... its like every one who lives in syria should endure what he did?? ... really - are there words here that are appropriate?