How much do you know about extradition? Granted it’s not something that most Canadians think about often. But did you know that a foreign government could request your extradition from Canada based on testimony that would not be accepted in a Canadian court?
Did you know that the Canadian government allows its citizens to be extradited to countries that refuse to allow their own citizens to be sent here? How would you feel if someone you know had their lives turned upside down based on a foreign country’s false claims and your country’s political agenda?
Would you be okay with a family member, friend or coworker being sent overseas to a trial that would be considered unfair here?
Canada’s extradition laws are being challenged right now by the case of Hassan Diab, an Ottawa sociology professor who was arrested in 2008 for an alleged role in a 1980 Paris synagogue bombing.
Despite the fact that Diab---a Canadian citizen---wasn’t in France at the time, French prosecutors are demanding that he stand trial. And our government seems intent on helping the process along, arguing that French investigators are under no obligation to present information in their possession that would cast a positive light on Diab.
The extradition trial continues, watched by supporters who pack the courtroom for each hearing. For this issue of X-Ray, Hassan Diab’s wife, Rania Tfaily, asks us to imagine what it might be like to experience extradition first hand. As well, we interview Mohamed Harkat, another high-profile defendant who has been subjected to secret trial under a CSIS security certificate.
Also, Ottawa criminologist Justin Piché counts the rising cost of Harper’s prison spending spree, while former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury to President Reagan, Paul Craig Roberts, exposes the shocking rise of police brutality in the United States.
This is the first issue of the magazine to be 100% web-hosted, and I’d like to welcome you to the new-and-improved X-Ray. I’d like to say a formal Thank You to Rob Sherwood, web designer and DJ extraordinaire, for putting up with me during the weeks and months it’s taken to put this website together.
I hope you find time to have a look around, comment, and share articles you like. And as always, let us know what you think.
Cheers,
David Julian Wightman
Publisher slash Editor
davidjwightman@xraymagazine.ca
Cover art this issue is “
Arrest”, by Abu Badali.