Arrested Again
I woke up this morning to a story on CBC about the (re)arrest of Mohamed Harkat. Rage is a lousy way to start the day.
For those who don’t know, Mohamad Harkat was arrested in Ottawa in December 2002. Without being charged, he was incarcerated until June 2006, when he finally won bail. Under conditions of his bail, he can’t leave his house, he must wear an electronic monitoring device, and must remain under the supervision of his wife or mother-in-law. Last February, the Supreme Court ruled that the “security certificate” that Harkat was held under was unconstitutional.
This guy has been held, in one way or another, for over five years. CSIS, the organization that destroyed evidence against the Air India bombers and lost laptops containing top secret documents at a hockey game, is being trusted to provide evidence to a judge in closed hearings that Harkat poses a danger to Canadian security.
This situation is ridiculous. I find it hard to believe that there is an ongoing plot that is so dangerous that Harkat must be imprisoned, but the evidence is so sensitive that his lawyers can’t be told what it is. CSIS either has to shit or get off the pot: charge the poor guy with a crime, or let him go.
Sadly, the JusticeForHarkat.com website doesn’t list any upcoming events that I can take part in.
